Responsibility — Lesson 5

Verse

Transliteration

tasmād asaktaḥ satataṁ kāryaṁ karma samācara
asakto hy ācaran karma param āpnoti puruṣaḥ

Meaning

Therefore, perform your duty constantly without attachment. By acting without dependence on results, a person attains the highest.

Key Words

• asaktaḥ — free from attachment
• kāryam karma — required action
• samācara — perform properly
• param — the highest
• āpnoti — attains

Teaching

Krishna now builds on the previous teaching. Action is unavoidable. But how we act makes all the difference. If we act with attachment to results, the mind becomes dependent and disturbed. If we act without attachment, the mind remains free and steady. The action is the same. The inner attitude is different. That difference transforms action into a path of growth.

Connection to Responsibility

Responsibility is not just about doing. It is about how we relate to what we do. Acting with attachment creates pressure. Acting with clarity creates freedom. This verse refines responsibility into intelligent and balanced action.

Reflection

When I act, am I driven by outcome, or by the clarity of what is right? What changes when I drop attachment to results?