Bhagavad Gita 4.14

na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti

na me karma-phale spṛhā

iti māṁ yo ’bhijānāti

karmabhir na sa badhyate

 

“Actions do not taint me in any way,

Nor do I crave their fruits on any day.

Who understands this truth profound,

From karmic chains is never bound.”

 

My dear Lord, whenever I see someone who has more abilities than me or has had more opportunities to develop those abilities, a haunting question arises within me—have you been unfair to me? Please, O Lord, help me drive this doubt out of my heart forever. Help me stay assured, my Lord, that you desire the ultimate welfare of everyone. In having that benevolent desire for all, you never exhibit partiality. In the specific gifts that different people receive during their journey through this world, you give everyone what they merit, according to their past karma.

Nonetheless, O Lord, you are so merciful that you never abandon me to a dark fate just because my past karma was dark. You oversee and orchestrate the acting of karma so that I receive abundant opportunities to turn toward you in love—whether those opportunities come in times of material poverty or material prosperity. Please, O Lord, let this understanding of your impartial benevolence stay firm in my heart. Let me not be resentful, my Lord, about how unfair this world is. Instead, let me be grateful for how unfailing your love for me is. Let my focus on your unwavering love become the guiding light of my life—not the temporary disparities of this mortal world, which is anyway not my home but merely a bridge I need to cross to come to you for a life of unending joy.

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04.14 There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.