Duty, Reward, and Performance

I grew up watching the long running Mahabharatha by B.R.Chopra in Doordarshan. One of (if not, THE) great epics of all time, Mahabharatha was fun to watch, especially with bows and arrows with cheesy special effects almost always guaranteed in each episode.

As a kid, this was a good Sunday show with fight sequences and fancy costumes. The story is so captivating that the language barrier (I had even little knowledge of Hindi back then) was not an issue. Of course, I never really understood the philosophy or the moral behind the stories, and I can fairly bet that no one else cared much either.

However, thanks to the magic of TV repetition, some verses - especially the ones in Bhagavad Gita, which is a subset of the epic - were stuck in my head. One of them has stuck with me longer than others.

कर्मन्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भुर मा ते सनगोस्त्वकर्मनि ।।

karmaNi eva adhikAraH te mA phaleShu kadAcana |
mA karma phala hetuH bhU mA te sanghaH astu akarmaNi |

This is an often quoted verse typically to describe the essence of Karma Yoga (the work-oriented way of life - roughly) - like the pithy one-liner in most ads (or a jingle that you can't get out of your head). As in most cases, it has been further condensed into a "do your duty, don't expect results" format.

Over the years, I have come to understand and appreciate the depth in this simple statement. The verse itself translates as follows (thanks to my brother who teaches Sanskrit)

"You are entitled to perform actions but never to its results. The results should not be the motivation for your actions".

The subsequent verse continues to expand on this to say "When you are detached from the results and follow a righteous path (yoga) you will be equipoised regardless of success or failure".

There are similar statements out there such as Alexander Pope's "Blessed is a man who does not have expectations, for he shall never be disappointed". However, I believe there is more to it than just that. 

My personal interpretation is "to do the work that you have undertaken without expecting its benefits" - be it expecting a promotion at the end of the year, kudos from friends, family, or colleagues for a job well-done, or even criticisms that may arise if the job well performed did not end as planned. 

When I have tried to explain this to those who bothered to ask, I've received either skepticism ("You would be stupid not to ask for a promotion - you have to fight for it - that's how it works") or tangential statements ("does it mean you shouldn't have any goals or ambitions in life that you work towards?"). 

I believe that neither are warranted. Yes, it is true that sometimes you have to fight for a promotion, but that doesn't mean you have to do your work to the fullest because you are expecting a promotion. The fight comes AFTER you've worked without expecting a promotion and during annual feedback you are simply stating your case as best as possible - without expecting a result. Similarly, a goal is different from result aka "aspiration" is not the same as "expectation". It's good to aspire for something, but what is important is not to expect that your aspirations are realized because you've worked towards it.

As a New Year dawns, I hope to continue to give my fullest to my work without expecting its rewards - hopefully it won't be as ephemeral as a New Year resolution!