Your right is to action alone, never to its fruits. Do not be the cause of the fruits of action, nor be attached to inaction.

This is perhaps the most quoted verse of the Gītā, the heart of Karma Yoga. Kṛṣṇa establishes a revolutionary principle: act fully, but without clinging to results.

Adhikāra means “right” or “authority.” We have authority over our actions but not over their consequences, which depend on countless factors beyond our control.

The trap has two sides: attachment to success (karma-phala) generates anxiety and disappointment; using this teaching as an excuse for inaction (akarman) is equally wrong. Kṛṣṇa closes the door: mā te saṅgo ‘stv akarmaṇi — don’t become attached to not doing anything either.

In āsana practice, this principle manifests thus: give your best effort in each posture without obsessing over “achieving” it. The process is yours; the result is not.

This attitude frees action from the burden of the ego and allows a purer dedication.