Karma

Gītā 2.47: action, results, and inaction

In Prabhupāda’s translation, Kṛṣṇa directs Arjuna toward prescribed duty while warning against attachment to its results and attachment to inaction. Both parts matter when reading the verse: its treatment of results is accompanied by a call to act.

A named commentary

Prabhupāda’s commentary distinguishes prescribed duty, unauthorized activity, and inaction. It interprets Arjuna’s responsibility within the Gītā’s battlefield setting and connects attachment with bondage. This is the interpretation of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, presented on Vedabase; a comparison of other commentaries belongs to a further stage of study.

Keep the scope of the passage clear

This verse is a starting point for thinking about responsibility and motivation. By itself, it is not an explanation of the cause of every event in someone’s life. The handbook does not use it to assign blame for suffering or to turn a complex religious concept into a prediction of someone’s future.

Questions for further study

• How does this translator understand prescribed duty?
• What does attachment mean in this commentary?
• Why does the verse also mention inaction?
• How does the surrounding chapter shape its meaning?
• How would another named commentary explain the same words?

Explore the Bhagavad Gītā, dharma, and sevā for related reading.

Sources & scope

• Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 2.47 — Vedabase

Edition by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Sources consulted October 7, 2026. The overview’s discussion of Prabhupāda paraphrases selected passages; study questions and scope notes are prepared by the handbook. Prabhupāda’s full translation and commentary are not reproduced. The public-domain Swarupananda verses are quoted in the on-page source collection.

A three-passage reading path

Learning goal: explain why this reading connects action with responsibility without treating every result as something a person controls. Allow about ten minutes: revisit 2.47 above, read the two linked passages below, then answer the comparison question. These are selected passages from one named edition, not a survey of every Hindu account of karma.

1. 2.47 — results and inaction: identify both cautions in the existing reading. Keep the verse separate from its purport.
2. 3.5 — the difficulty of remaining inactive: look for the relationship between activity and the qualities of nature.
3. 4.17 — distinctions requiring study: notice the three terms and the warning that action is difficult to understand.

Gītā 3.5: activity and the qualities of nature

In A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda’s translation of 3.5, no one remains entirely without activity, even briefly; the qualities arising from material nature impel action. Read this beside 2.47 rather than equating nonattachment with doing nothing.

The accompanying purport develops a devotional explanation of the active soul and work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Prabhupāda’s Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava interpretation. The handbook identifies it as commentary rather than inserting its fuller argument into the verse.

Reading question: what does this passage say about inactivity, and what explanation appears only in the purport?

Gītā 4.17: a distinction, not a shortcut

4.17 in the same edition says that action is difficult to understand and calls for understanding action, forbidden action and inaction. Its word-meaning section associates these with karma, vikarma and akarma, respectively.

The purport links their interpretation to liberation, one’s relationship with the Lord and Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Identify that theological explanation as the commentator’s account. This brief verse does not provide a ready-made list of which modern choices belong in each category; interpreting them requires further textual and commentary study.

Reading question: does the verse make the subject sound simple, or call for careful understanding?

Reflection after reading

This is a handbook exercise, not a prescribed rite. Choose an ordinary responsibility, such as preparing for a lesson or helping organize a family gathering. Write down the action you can take, the result you hope for and the factors other people or circumstances influence. Then ask what responsible effort would look like if that result remains uncertain.

This example helps organize reflection; it does not determine anyone’s karmic history. Keep thoughtful preparation and attention to consequences in the exercise. Do not turn a passage about attachment into a reason to stop caring about the people affected by an action.

Common questions

Does this guide mean karma is simply fate?

The passages selected here direct attention to action and understanding. They do not establish a complete theory of destiny. A broader guide would need additional sources on causation, rebirth and differences among philosophical traditions.

Does nonattachment mean avoiding responsibility?

Read the treatment of results in 2.47 together with its caution about inaction and the activity described in 3.5. The handbook’s reflection asks readers to consider their effort and its effects, not to abandon responsibility.

Can these verses explain why someone is grieving or ill?

This guide does not infer a person’s past actions from their suffering. It supplies no method for making that judgment. Personal support and practical help need not wait for an explanation of karmic causation.

Are all Hindu interpretations the same?

This guide uses one identified translation and labels its commentary. Comparing other translations and philosophical accounts remains a further stage of study.

Check your understanding

Without looking back, match each passage to its main concern: 2.47, 3.5 and 4.17. Which cautions against attachment to inaction, which describes activity under the qualities of nature, and which calls for understanding different kinds of action?

Optional later review: tomorrow, recall one difference between the three passages before reopening them. Add the verse number and translator to your notes so you can check your answer.

Next reading and coverage

Continue with dharma and duty, sevā and service, or the Bhagavad Gītā reading guide. The new passages are from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, translated and commented on by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, on VedaBase. Sources checked October 7, 2026.

This remains a focused introduction. Wider accounts of karma and rebirth, comparison of named commentators, and specialist Sanskrit and philosophical review remain pending.