What Is Karma Yoga According to the Bhagavad Gita?

The definition: action without the fruit

Verse 2.47 states the principle: your right is to the action alone, never to its fruits; do not let the fruit be your motive, nor be attached to inaction. Verse 2.48 adds the method — act established in yoga, abandoning attachment, even-minded in success and failure. 'Equanimity is yoga.'

Why action cannot be avoided

Krishna tells Arjuna that no one can remain actionless even for a moment (3.5); nature compels action. Since we must act, the choice is not whether to act but how — selfishly, which binds, or as an offering, which frees (3.9).

Key verses on karma yoga

• 2.47 — Right to action, never to its fruits.
• 2.48 — Evenness of mind is yoga.
• 3.9 — Action done as sacrifice does not bind.
• 3.19 — By acting without attachment, one attains the Supreme.
• 5.10 — One who acts offering all to Brahman is untouched by sin, like a lotus leaf in water.

How to practise karma yoga today

• Choose the action in front of you and give it full attention.
• Before starting, silently offer the work and its outcome.
• When results come — praise or criticism — receive both alike and return to the next action.
• Treat your role's duties as your contribution to a larger order, not a personal scoreboard.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• Karma Yoga topic hub →
• Bhagavad Gita 2.47 →
• Read Chapter 3, Karma Yoga →
• Gita quotes on duty and action →