6 Gita Shlokas on Karma When You’re Doing Everything Right But Nothing's Working
Riya Kumari | Jul 25, 2025, 19:56 IST
Krishna
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
You know the feeling. You're meditating, manifesting, multitasking your way through deadlines, eating kale (even though you hate kale), lighting your incense, and not texting your ex. You're journaling like a monk in Paris and working like a tech bro on pre-workout. You’ve read the Gita, saved the Gita quotes on Pinterest, even tried to chant "Om" without sounding like you're holding in a sneeze.
You’re trying to be better. Kinder. More focused. You’ve cleaned up your diet, your thoughts, your inner circle. You’re not chasing shortcuts. You’re showing up in full sincerity, whether it’s work, relationships, or your own healing. And yet... no breakthrough. No acknowledgment. No reward. Just this long, uncomfortable silence from life, as if the universe has gone offline and you’re the only one still logged in. It’s in moments like these that the Bhagavad Gita quietly steps in, not with magic fixes, but with something far more powerful: clarity. Its words are less about escape and more about endurance. Not “how to get results,” but “how to remain unshaken when you don’t.” Here are 6 shlokas from the Gita that speak straight to this quiet, exhausting space, the one between effort and outcome, where most of us lose heart. But if you truly understand these, you don’t just find peace, you become it.
1. “You have the right to your work, but not to the fruits of it.” (2.47)
This isn’t an excuse to give up. It’s a reminder of where your control ends. The Gita doesn’t romanticize suffering, it just removes the illusion that results are guaranteed. You're meant to pour yourself into your actions, not because of what you’ll get, but because who you become through doing it.
The value of your effort isn’t measured in outcomes, it’s measured in alignment. If your action is sincere, focused, and grounded, it’s already a success, even if the world can’t see it yet. Let that sink in. Sometimes, doing right is the only reward. And it’s enough.
2. “Do your duty, without being attached to success or failure. Be steady in yoga; this is true wisdom.” (2.48)
You know that aching feeling of things not going your way? That’s often not the situation, it’s the attachment to a certain outcome. This shloka isn’t about not caring. It’s about caring deeply, but not clinging. Imagine the calm of doing your best without the inner noise of fear or desperation.
That’s what the Gita means by “yoga”, a steady mind, not one constantly bargaining with life. Wisdom isn’t knowing how to win. It’s knowing how to remain whole, even when you don’t.
3. “One who performs duty without attachment to the results is truly free.” (6.1)
This one hits different. We tend to think that freedom comes from doing whatever we want. But the Gita flips that: true freedom is doing what’s right, even when you don’t get anything for it. When you stop working only for praise, profit, or outcome, you’re no longer tied to other people’s approval, or even your own expectations.
That’s not resignation. That’s liberation. The most powerful person isn’t the one who controls everything. It’s the one who keeps doing the right thing—even when there’s no spotlight.
4. “A person who has given up all desires and acts free of longing, selfishness, or ego, is at peace.” (2.71)
This is not about suppressing your desires. It’s about not being ruled by them. Let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t want success as much as we want what it will prove. That we’re enough. That we’re lovable. That we’re valid. But the Gita invites a deeper peace: one that isn’t built on outcomes, but on wholeness.
You don’t need to be validated by the result if you're already secure in your intention. Inner stillness isn’t something you earn once life goes your way. It’s what you carry with you until it does.
5. “The wise do not get attached to success or failure. They remain balanced.” (2.50)
Success and failure aren’t opposites, they’re both distractions when they become your identity. What this shloka offers is not emotional numbness. It’s maturity. A knowing that both praise and criticism pass. Both wins and losses fade. What remains is how gracefully you moved through them.
We often chase “winning” as a way to silence our fear of “losing.” But real strength is knowing that either way, you are still you. Grounded. Focused. Whole.
6. “No effort on the path of truth ever goes to waste.” (2.40)
This is the Gita’s promise. Your sincere action will never be in vain. You may not see its result today. It may not come in the way you expect. But energy given in truth does not disappear, it returns, often in ways you don’t anticipate. The world may not reward your effort immediately. But something within you shifts. Grows.
Strengthens. And one day, when the timing is right, it blooms, not just as success, but as clarity. Your path is still unfolding. Just because the seed hasn’t sprouted doesn’t mean it’s not alive.
CLOSING THOUGHT:
If you’re doing everything right and nothing seems to be working, this is not failure. This is the quiet part of transformation. The part that asks you to keep showing up without applause. The part that makes your strength real. You’re not stuck. You’re deepening.
Let your actions be your devotion. Let your sincerity be your offering. Let the results come when they will, or not. You’re not working for the world’s approval. You’re aligning with something much deeper. And that… will never be wasted.
1. “You have the right to your work, but not to the fruits of it.” (2.47)
Efforts
( Image credit : Unsplash )
This isn’t an excuse to give up. It’s a reminder of where your control ends. The Gita doesn’t romanticize suffering, it just removes the illusion that results are guaranteed. You're meant to pour yourself into your actions, not because of what you’ll get, but because who you become through doing it.
The value of your effort isn’t measured in outcomes, it’s measured in alignment. If your action is sincere, focused, and grounded, it’s already a success, even if the world can’t see it yet. Let that sink in. Sometimes, doing right is the only reward. And it’s enough.
2. “Do your duty, without being attached to success or failure. Be steady in yoga; this is true wisdom.” (2.48)
Try
( Image credit : Unsplash )
You know that aching feeling of things not going your way? That’s often not the situation, it’s the attachment to a certain outcome. This shloka isn’t about not caring. It’s about caring deeply, but not clinging. Imagine the calm of doing your best without the inner noise of fear or desperation.
That’s what the Gita means by “yoga”, a steady mind, not one constantly bargaining with life. Wisdom isn’t knowing how to win. It’s knowing how to remain whole, even when you don’t.
3. “One who performs duty without attachment to the results is truly free.” (6.1)
Hard work
( Image credit : Unsplash )
This one hits different. We tend to think that freedom comes from doing whatever we want. But the Gita flips that: true freedom is doing what’s right, even when you don’t get anything for it. When you stop working only for praise, profit, or outcome, you’re no longer tied to other people’s approval, or even your own expectations.
That’s not resignation. That’s liberation. The most powerful person isn’t the one who controls everything. It’s the one who keeps doing the right thing—even when there’s no spotlight.
4. “A person who has given up all desires and acts free of longing, selfishness, or ego, is at peace.” (2.71)
Stressful work
( Image credit : Unsplash )
This is not about suppressing your desires. It’s about not being ruled by them. Let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t want success as much as we want what it will prove. That we’re enough. That we’re lovable. That we’re valid. But the Gita invites a deeper peace: one that isn’t built on outcomes, but on wholeness.
You don’t need to be validated by the result if you're already secure in your intention. Inner stillness isn’t something you earn once life goes your way. It’s what you carry with you until it does.
5. “The wise do not get attached to success or failure. They remain balanced.” (2.50)
Balance
( Image credit : Unsplash )
Success and failure aren’t opposites, they’re both distractions when they become your identity. What this shloka offers is not emotional numbness. It’s maturity. A knowing that both praise and criticism pass. Both wins and losses fade. What remains is how gracefully you moved through them.
We often chase “winning” as a way to silence our fear of “losing.” But real strength is knowing that either way, you are still you. Grounded. Focused. Whole.
6. “No effort on the path of truth ever goes to waste.” (2.40)
Dice
( Image credit : Unsplash )
This is the Gita’s promise. Your sincere action will never be in vain. You may not see its result today. It may not come in the way you expect. But energy given in truth does not disappear, it returns, often in ways you don’t anticipate. The world may not reward your effort immediately. But something within you shifts. Grows.
Strengthens. And one day, when the timing is right, it blooms, not just as success, but as clarity. Your path is still unfolding. Just because the seed hasn’t sprouted doesn’t mean it’s not alive.
CLOSING THOUGHT:
Let your actions be your devotion. Let your sincerity be your offering. Let the results come when they will, or not. You’re not working for the world’s approval. You’re aligning with something much deeper. And that… will never be wasted.