Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Karma
Quick answer
The Bhagavad Gita teaches that karma (action) is unavoidable, so the question is how to act. Krishna's answer, summed up in BG 2.47, is to do your duty fully while letting go of attachment to its results. Action done as an offering, without selfish desire, does not bind — this is Karma Yoga.
“You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself the cause of the results, and never be attached to inaction.”
“No one can remain without action even for a moment; everyone is driven to act, helplessly, by the qualities born of nature.”
“Perform your prescribed duty, for action is better than inaction. Even the maintenance of the body would not be possible without action.”
“Work done as a sacrifice must be performed; otherwise work binds one to this world. Therefore, perform your actions for that sake, free from attachment.”
“Therefore, without attachment, always perform the work that has to be done; for by performing action without attachment, one attains the Supreme.”
“Whatever a great person does, others follow. Whatever standard they set, the world pursues.”
“Better is one's own duty, though imperfectly performed, than the duty of another well performed.”
“The nature of action is hard to understand. One must understand what action is, what wrong action is, and what inaction is.”
“One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is wise among people; such a person is a yogi who has accomplished all action.”
“Having abandoned attachment to the fruits of action, ever content and dependent on nothing, such a person does nothing at all, though fully engaged in action.”
“One who performs actions offering them to the Supreme, abandoning attachment, is untouched by sin, as a lotus leaf is untouched by water.”
“Better is one's own duty, though imperfect, than the duty of another well performed. Doing the work ordained by one's own nature, one incurs no sin.”
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bhagavad Gita say about karma?
It says action is unavoidable (BG 3.5), so one should act according to one's duty without attachment to results (BG 2.47). Action offered selflessly does not bind the soul (BG 3.9, 5.10).
What is the most famous Gita quote on karma?
Bhagavad Gita 2.47 — 'You have a right to perform your duties, but not to the fruits of your actions.'
Does the Gita teach that karma is fate?
No. The Gita emphasises present action and intention. It describes how actions bind or free us, and urges conscious, selfless action rather than passive acceptance.