Hindu tradition
Bhagavad Gita
Sanskrit · read across Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati
A dialogue on the battlefield of Kurukshetra between Arjuna and Krishna, about duty, courage and a steady mind.
Language connection: Words like karma, dharma and yoga travelled from Gita Sanskrit into everyday speech across India and the world.
Chapter 2, Verse 47 · Duty without anxiety
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥
karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi
- karmaṇi
— - in action
- adhikāraḥ
— - right, claim
- phaleṣu
— - in the fruits / results
- saṅgaḥ
— - attachment
- akarmaṇi
— - in inaction
English
Your right is to the work alone, never to its fruits. Do not let results be your motive, nor be attached to doing nothing.
तुम्हारा अधिकार केवल कर्म पर है, उसके फल पर कभी नहीं। फल को कर्म का कारण मत बनाओ, और कर्म न करने में भी आसक्ति मत रखो।
Do your best and release the worry about outcomes — a teaching many readers turn to in moments of stress.
Chapter 6, Verse 5 · Self-mastery
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
- uddharet
— - should lift up
- ātmānam
— - oneself
- bandhuḥ
— - friend
- ripuḥ
— - enemy
English
Lift yourself up by your own self; do not let yourself sink. The self alone is one's friend, and the self alone is one's enemy.
मनुष्य स्वयं अपना उद्धार करे, स्वयं को गिरने न दे। मनुष्य स्वयं ही अपना मित्र है और स्वयं ही अपना शत्रु।
Inner strength begins with how we speak to ourselves.
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