Sometimes Dharma Means Walking Alone, Gita Says Walk Anyway
Riya Kumari | Jul 29, 2025, 23:50 IST
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Look, I get it. We all want to believe that doing the right thing comes with confetti. That if you're good, you'll get rewarded, noticed, maybe even retweeted. But sometimes, Dharma, the ever-elusive “right path”, doesn’t come with a plus-one. Sometimes it’s just you, your conscience, and a deafening silence where applause should be. And still, according to the Bhagavad Gita, you're supposed to keep going. Alone.
What do you do when you know you’re right, but no one stands with you? When your family doesn’t get it, your friends pull away, and the people around you tell you to “just let it go”? When following your conscience means breaking off from the group, disappointing others, and losing the safety of belonging? The Bhagavad Gita doesn’t sugarcoat this part of life. It doesn’t promise support, comfort, or even understanding. What it does offer, brutally, beautifully, is this: “Do your Dharma. Even if it breaks you. Even if you have to do it alone.” Because in the Gita’s world, truth is not democratic. It doesn’t need a majority vote. It just needs one person willing to walk with it.
1. When You Feel Alone, You Might Actually Be on the Right Path
In Chapter 2, Verse 47, Krishna says:
“You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions.”
It’s one of the most misunderstood lines in spiritual literature. What it’s really saying is this: You won’t always be rewarded for doing the right thing. And you shouldn't expect to be. You might be punished for it, actually. Mocked for it. Left out for it. That doesn’t mean you’re wrong.
It means the world hasn’t caught up to where you are yet. The Gita teaches that doing your Dharma isn't about getting results, it's about staying in integrity with your inner compass, even when it costs you everything external.
2. Dharma is Not the Convenient Path. It’s the Correct One
Arjuna didn’t want to fight. He stood on the battlefield, heart pounding, mind spinning, family on both sides, and said, “I can’t do this.” He wasn’t being a coward. He was being human. He wanted to avoid conflict, just like we all do. Who wants to face rejection, confrontation, or moral fatigue?
But Krishna doesn’t say, “It’s okay, you’re right. Sit this one out.” He says:
“You grieve for those who should not be grieved for, yet you speak words of wisdom. The wise do not mourn the living or the dead.” (2.11)
Translated: Stop making it about feelings. This is bigger than you. Do what is right, not what is easy. Dharma means responsibility, not comfort. It asks you to act knowing people will misunderstand you. It asks you to speak knowing your voice may be ignored. It asks you to walk knowing no one may follow.
3. Silence from the World Doesn’t Mean You’re Off Path. It Might Mean You’re Finally On It
We grow up thinking that if something is right, it will feel good. That the “right path” will be smooth, supported, blessed by the universe, and maybe have some affirmations and angel numbers on the way. But sometimes, the path of Dharma is silent, slow, and terribly lonely. Krishna doesn’t promise Arjuna success. He doesn’t even promise peace. He says:
“Be steadfast in Yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure.” (2.48)
There’s no guarantee of victory. Only the promise that walking in truth will leave your inner world intact, even if your outer world falls apart. Because what you lose on the outside is nothing compared to what you preserve within.
4. When You Stand Alone, You Meet Yourself
The Gita’s teachings aren’t for those seeking shortcuts or applause. They are for people ready to meet the raw, unfiltered truth of life and of themselves. And that can only happen when the noise fades. When the crowd disappears. When the illusion of being “supported” dissolves and you realise:
You’ve always been the only one who could make this choice. Krishna says in Chapter 6, Verse 5:
“Let a man lift himself by his own self alone, and let him not lower himself; for this self alone is the friend of oneself, and this self alone is the enemy of oneself.”
Which means: You are your only obstacle. You are also your only ally. That’s the paradox: only when you're alone do you truly see yourself.
5. Dharma is Not About Being Right. It’s About Being True
You can argue with everyone else. But you can’t argue with your own gut for long. Most of us know what the right thing is. We just hope someone else will do it first. Or that someone will approve it before we act. But Dharma doesn’t wait for a consensus. It’s not a group project. It’s the quiet knowing that says: even if I lose everything doing this, I will not lose myself. That’s what the Gita is about. That’s why Krishna says:
“Even if you are considered the most sinful of all sinners, yet by the raft of knowledge alone you shall cross the ocean of sin.” (4.36)
The moment you act from truth, even if you’ve spent your whole life avoiding it, you begin again. You start walking. And that walk becomes the path.
Walk Alone. Not Because You're Abandoned. But Because You're Anchored
This isn’t a sad story. It’s a powerful one. The Gita doesn’t tell you you’ll be loved for doing the right thing. It tells you, you’ll be whole for it. And that’s worth more. So walk. Not with arrogance. Not with bitterness. But with clarity. Because when you walk alone for Dharma, you’re not really alone.
You’re walking with Krishna. Even if no one else can see Him, you will know He’s there. And sometimes, that is more than enough.
1. When You Feel Alone, You Might Actually Be on the Right Path
“You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions.”
It’s one of the most misunderstood lines in spiritual literature. What it’s really saying is this: You won’t always be rewarded for doing the right thing. And you shouldn't expect to be. You might be punished for it, actually. Mocked for it. Left out for it. That doesn’t mean you’re wrong.
It means the world hasn’t caught up to where you are yet. The Gita teaches that doing your Dharma isn't about getting results, it's about staying in integrity with your inner compass, even when it costs you everything external.
2. Dharma is Not the Convenient Path. It’s the Correct One
But Krishna doesn’t say, “It’s okay, you’re right. Sit this one out.” He says:
“You grieve for those who should not be grieved for, yet you speak words of wisdom. The wise do not mourn the living or the dead.” (2.11)
Translated: Stop making it about feelings. This is bigger than you. Do what is right, not what is easy. Dharma means responsibility, not comfort. It asks you to act knowing people will misunderstand you. It asks you to speak knowing your voice may be ignored. It asks you to walk knowing no one may follow.
3. Silence from the World Doesn’t Mean You’re Off Path. It Might Mean You’re Finally On It
“Be steadfast in Yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure.” (2.48)
There’s no guarantee of victory. Only the promise that walking in truth will leave your inner world intact, even if your outer world falls apart. Because what you lose on the outside is nothing compared to what you preserve within.
4. When You Stand Alone, You Meet Yourself
You’ve always been the only one who could make this choice. Krishna says in Chapter 6, Verse 5:
“Let a man lift himself by his own self alone, and let him not lower himself; for this self alone is the friend of oneself, and this self alone is the enemy of oneself.”
Which means: You are your only obstacle. You are also your only ally. That’s the paradox: only when you're alone do you truly see yourself.
5. Dharma is Not About Being Right. It’s About Being True
“Even if you are considered the most sinful of all sinners, yet by the raft of knowledge alone you shall cross the ocean of sin.” (4.36)
The moment you act from truth, even if you’ve spent your whole life avoiding it, you begin again. You start walking. And that walk becomes the path.
Walk Alone. Not Because You're Abandoned. But Because You're Anchored
You’re walking with Krishna. Even if no one else can see Him, you will know He’s there. And sometimes, that is more than enough.