When They Don’t See Your Worth, Krishna Says - You Still Must
Riya Kumari | Jun 19, 2025, 18:35 IST
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau, Timeslife )
Let me guess: You tried. You showed up. You gave your sparkle, your sincerity, maybe even that limited-edition emotional availability you only dust off on special occasions. And still… crickets. Or worse — the polite nods, the dismissive replies, the “we’ll circle back”s that somehow only go in squares. You keep wondering, Am I invisible? Or just wearing the world’s best emotional camouflage?
There’s a particular kind of quiet that follows you when you’ve given your best and it goes unnoticed. Not rejected, not dismissed outright—just passed over. Like offering something valuable with both hands, and watching it drift past a gaze too distracted or indifferent to catch it. It hurts. Not because you expect applause, but because you expect something. A flicker of acknowledgement. A mirror to reflect that your effort wasn’t invisible. But the truth is, sometimes it is. And that doesn’t make it any less real.
1. What Krishna Told Arjuna Still Holds
Shloka (Bhagavad Gita 2.47):
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.
There’s a story in the Bhagavad Gita—perhaps one of the most well-known, yet least truly understood. Arjuna stands on the battlefield, overcome with doubt. He isn’t afraid of losing. He’s afraid of acting without meaning. Of moving forward when everything feels blurred, unjust, and deeply personal. He turns to Krishna and says, in essence, I can’t do this if I don’t know it matters.
Krishna doesn’t offer comfort. He offers clarity. You act because it is your dharma. You do what is right, even when the outcome is uncertain. You carry out your truth—not because it will be received, but because it is yours to carry.
2. Value Isn’t Measured in Reactions
Shloka (Bhagavad Gita 2.38):
सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ।
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि॥
Treat pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat the same; then get ready for battle. Acting in this way, you will not incur sin.
We’ve grown up being told that effort brings reward. That if you work hard, love well, stay honest, speak clearly—something good comes back. It’s tidy logic. But life doesn’t always honor tidy logic. Sometimes you speak and your words fall flat. Sometimes you care and it makes no difference. Sometimes you show up and no one notices. In those moments, it’s tempting to recalculate your worth based on the silence that follows.
But silence is not a verdict. Lack of response is not a measure of your value. Think about a seed under the earth. It doesn’t bloom on day one. There’s no standing ovation. No one posts about it. But it’s growing all the same. Quietly. Persistently.
3. You’re Not Here to Be Seen. You’re Here to Be True
Shloka (Bhagavad Gita 3.19):
तस्मादसक्तः सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचर।
असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पूरुषः॥
Therefore, always perform your duty without attachment. By working without attachment, one attains the Supreme.
You are not required to convince people of your worth. You’re not here to perform value until it’s believed. There’s a kind of self-respect that shows up without asking for confirmation. It speaks in your tone, not your volume. It’s there when you set a boundary you know will make others uncomfortable.
When you walk away without bitterness. When you do the right thing, even when no one is watching, and no one is clapping. That’s what Krishna meant. Not just “keep going.” But do not build yourself in response to who sees you. Build yourself in response to who you are.
4. Keep Doing What’s Yours to Do
Shloka (Bhagavad Gita 18.47):
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्।
स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः॥
It is better to fail in your own dharma than to succeed in someone else’s. Following another’s path is fraught with danger.
Some people will never see your worth—not because it isn’t there, but because they can’t, or won’t. That has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to become louder, shinier, more palatable to be noticed. You need to be steady. Clear. Rooted. There’s deep power in continuing to be who you are, even when it’s not being validated in return. That’s what builds character, not ego.
Let them underestimate you. That is their story. What you’re writing is different. You still show up. You still care. You still speak your truth. Because some people act for reward. But the wise? They act from truth. And when that becomes your reason — you become unshakable.
1. What Krishna Told Arjuna Still Holds
Doubt
( Image credit : Pexels )
Shloka (Bhagavad Gita 2.47):
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.
There’s a story in the Bhagavad Gita—perhaps one of the most well-known, yet least truly understood. Arjuna stands on the battlefield, overcome with doubt. He isn’t afraid of losing. He’s afraid of acting without meaning. Of moving forward when everything feels blurred, unjust, and deeply personal. He turns to Krishna and says, in essence, I can’t do this if I don’t know it matters.
Krishna doesn’t offer comfort. He offers clarity. You act because it is your dharma. You do what is right, even when the outcome is uncertain. You carry out your truth—not because it will be received, but because it is yours to carry.
2. Value Isn’t Measured in Reactions
Worth
( Image credit : Pexels )
Shloka (Bhagavad Gita 2.38):
सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ।
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि॥
Treat pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat the same; then get ready for battle. Acting in this way, you will not incur sin.
We’ve grown up being told that effort brings reward. That if you work hard, love well, stay honest, speak clearly—something good comes back. It’s tidy logic. But life doesn’t always honor tidy logic. Sometimes you speak and your words fall flat. Sometimes you care and it makes no difference. Sometimes you show up and no one notices. In those moments, it’s tempting to recalculate your worth based on the silence that follows.
But silence is not a verdict. Lack of response is not a measure of your value. Think about a seed under the earth. It doesn’t bloom on day one. There’s no standing ovation. No one posts about it. But it’s growing all the same. Quietly. Persistently.
3. You’re Not Here to Be Seen. You’re Here to Be True
Stage
( Image credit : Pexels )
Shloka (Bhagavad Gita 3.19):
तस्मादसक्तः सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचर।
असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पूरुषः॥
Therefore, always perform your duty without attachment. By working without attachment, one attains the Supreme.
You are not required to convince people of your worth. You’re not here to perform value until it’s believed. There’s a kind of self-respect that shows up without asking for confirmation. It speaks in your tone, not your volume. It’s there when you set a boundary you know will make others uncomfortable.
When you walk away without bitterness. When you do the right thing, even when no one is watching, and no one is clapping. That’s what Krishna meant. Not just “keep going.” But do not build yourself in response to who sees you. Build yourself in response to who you are.
4. Keep Doing What’s Yours to Do
Speech
( Image credit : Pexels )
Shloka (Bhagavad Gita 18.47):
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्।
स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः॥
It is better to fail in your own dharma than to succeed in someone else’s. Following another’s path is fraught with danger.
Some people will never see your worth—not because it isn’t there, but because they can’t, or won’t. That has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to become louder, shinier, more palatable to be noticed. You need to be steady. Clear. Rooted. There’s deep power in continuing to be who you are, even when it’s not being validated in return. That’s what builds character, not ego.
Let them underestimate you. That is their story. What you’re writing is different. You still show up. You still care. You still speak your truth. Because some people act for reward. But the wise? They act from truth. And when that becomes your reason — you become unshakable.