Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 47 (BG 2.47) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 2.47 According to the principles expounded in the Vedas, actions performed with a mind dedicated to the Divine and free from selfish desire purify the inner consciousness. The purification of the mind is essential before the realization of the Self. The Bhagavad Gita, in affirming this very principle, encompasses within its detailed exposition all actions—both personal and social—whereas in the Vedas, action referred primarily to religious rituals and sacrificial ceremonies. An immature intellect cannot grasp profound truths such as the knowledge of ultimate reality. Without sufficient reflection, the meaning of the aforementioned verse will seem impossible to comprehend. At most, one might conclude that this verse grants religious sanction to keep the poor impoverished and permits the wealthy to oppress them. To one who merely reasons intellectually, the ideal of performing action without attachment to results will appear impractical and impossible. Yet that very person, after study and practice in their own field of action, will discover that this is the sole key to achieving genuine success in life. Before this, the art of living an inspired life—taught as karma yoga—is what Sri Krishna now imparts again to Arjuna. Inappropriate thoughts and doubts are poisons to life. The root of all failures in life lies in the absence of mental steadiness, which typically arises from imagining potential harm in the future. Most of us, paralyzed by fear of failure, do not even undertake great endeavors, and those few who do muster such courage often become discouraged after a short time and abandon the work incomplete. The reason is singular: the dissipation of mental energy. The sole remedy for this waste is the dedication of all actions to a noble ideal. Actions performed with such inspiration culminate in glorious success. This is the eternal law of action. The future is always created in the present. Tomorrow's harvest depends upon today's plowing and sowing. Yet if a farmer, imagining the loss of a future crop, squanders the present opportunity to plow and sow, it is certain that no harvest will come to him in the future. One should wisely utilize the present moment for a superior future. The past is dead, and the future has not yet come into being. If one acts carelessly in the present, one should not expect great success in the future. This fundamental truth, well-known and comprehensible, may be expressed in the language of the Gita thus: If you desire success, never make effort with a mind scattered by concern and fear of results. Here it is necessary and beneficial to understand through subtle reflection what the scriptures mean by the fruits of action. Through proper contemplation, one will realize that the fruit of action is not truly something separate from the action itself. The action performed in the present manifests as fruit in the future. The reality is that the completion or fulfillment of action lies in its fruit, which is not distinct from it. Therefore, to dwell in concern about the fruits of action means to flee from the powerful, dynamic present and remain absorbed in imagining an unborn future. In brief, the Lord's call is that humanity should not waste the time granted to it in futile worries, but should employ it wisely. The future will unfold of itself, and the karma yogi will attain supreme spiritual advancement. The conclusion is this: Understanding that for Arjuna the purpose of this war is the noble ideal of upholding dharma, he should engage in action with his full capacity. Actions performed with inspiration will surely bear fruit, and along with that, spiritual fruit in the form of purification of consciousness will be attained. To become a true karma yogi, four principles are taught in this verse. One who understands that: (a) your right extends only to performing action, (b) there is no need to concern yourself with the fruits of action, (c) there should be no insistence or intention in the mind regarding a specific result from any particular action, and (d) the conclusion of all this is not that one should take pleasure in inaction—such a person is truly a karma yogi. In brief, the purpose of this teaching is to free humanity from anxiety and instruct them to live engaged in action while immersed in divine bliss. To perform action itself is the greatest reward and gift for such a person—in the satisfaction and joy of performing noble action, they forget themselves. Action is the means, and Self-realization is the goal. By remembering the Divine and promptly confronting all external challenges, humanity can easily attain the purification of consciousness through peace and the dissolution of desires. The greater the purity in consciousness, the more accessible Self-realization becomes. If one does not perform action while clinging to its fruits, then how should one perform it? The answer is...