Let me value your remembrance above all results
Bhagavad Gita 2.47
karmaṇy-evādhikāras te
mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr
mā te saṅgo ’stvakarmaṇi
“To doing your work, you always have a right,
Know that its results are beyond your might.
In making the results happen, you are not the sole cause,
Knowing this, don’t let apathy make your endeavor pause.”
My dear Lord, few things cause me as much agitation and agony as my fixation with the results I seek through my work.
This is where I frequently feel that life treats me unfairly, not giving me the just rewards for my endeavors. In the ultra-competitive world that I inhabit today, it is easy to let such perceived unfairness lead to persistent bitterness toward life and the world at large.
You rescue me from such emotional turbulence and torment by reminding me that the results I get are not only due to the present work I do but also the past work I have done—either in this life or previous lives. Because the role of this past work acts like an unpredictable wild card, I sometimes receive results that do not align with my present efforts.
You assure me that my endeavors matter, even when they don’t seem to, in terms of immediate results. Please, O Lord, bless me with the faith that, whatever the mysterious ways in which karma works to bring about results in this world, you are working through it and above it for granting me a bigger and better result—bringing me the realization of the transient nature of worldly ups and downs, and the revelation of your unswerving love for me.
Please, O Lord, bless me so that I start valuing your remembrance as the cherished result of all my work—far more than any remuneration or recognition in this world.
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02.47 You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.
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