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Which Bhagavad Gita translation should you read? Eight compared on verse 2.47

Bhagavad Gita 2.47 in eight English and Hindi translations side by side, from Sivananda and Prabhupada to Ramsukhdas, what sets each apart, and how to get a shloka a day on your Chrome new tab.

Updated · 3 min read

Bhagavad Gita 2.47 is probably its most quoted verse: you have a right to your work, not to its fruits. Read it in eight translations and you can see each translator’s approach in a single line. Here they are side by side.

In short

  • Closest to the Sanskrit: Gambirananda and Sankaranarayan.
  • Easiest modern English: Adidevananda and Prabhupada.
  • In Hindi: Ramsukhdas and Tejomayananda.

The Sanskrit

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥

karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana, mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi

Eight translations of 2.47

TranslatorTranslation
Swami SivanandaThy right is to work only, but never with its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive, nor let thy attachment be to inaction.
Swami GambiranandaYour right is for action alone, never for the results. Do not become the agent of the results of action. May you not have any inclination for inaction.
Shri Purohit SwamiBut thou hast only the right to work, but none to the fruit thereof. Let not then the fruit of thy action be thy motive; nor yet be thou enamored of inaction.
Swami AdidevanandaTo work alone you have the right, and not to the fruits. Do not be impelled by the fruits of work. Nor have attachment to inaction.
Dr. S. SankaranarayanLet your claim lie on action alone and never on the fruits; you should never be a cause for the fruits of action; let not your attachment be to inaction.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaYou have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.
Swami Ramsukhdasकर्तव्य-कर्म करनेमें ही तेरा अधिकार है, फलोंमें कभी नहीं। अतः तू कर्मफलका हेतु भी मत बन और तेरी अकर्मण्यतामें भी आसक्ति न हो।
Swami Tejomayanandaकर्म करने मात्र में तुम्हारा अधिकार है, फल में कभी नहीं। तुम कर्मफल के हेतु वाले मत होना और अकर्म में भी तुम्हारी आसक्ति न हो।

Texts as published by the open Vedic Scriptures project.

What the differences show

  • “Work” or “duty”. Most translate karma as work or action. Prabhupada, and Ramsukhdas with कर्तव्य-कर्म, read it as your duty, which narrows the verse to what you ought to do.
  • The middle line. mā karma-phala-hetur bhūḥ is the hardest phrase. Gambirananda and Sankaranarayan keep its shape (“do not become the agent / a cause of the results”); Sivananda and Purohit turn it into motive (“let not the fruits be thy motive”).
  • Inaction. Everyone ends on the same warning: letting go of results is not permission to stop working.
  • Register. Sivananda and Purohit use “thy” and “thou”; Adidevananda and Prabhupada read like modern English.

A shloka a day on your new tab

  1. Add Pax to Chrome, Edge or Brave and choose Hinduism when setup asks about a daily reflection.
  2. In Settings › Faith, turn on the passage of the day and choose any of the eight translators above.
  3. Optionally show Brahma muhurta and the three sandhya times, with a reminder.

Each day’s verse appears in Devanagari with your translation and a link to read it in context. The whole page can also be switched to Hindi.

Questions people ask

Which Gita translation is the most literal?

Of these, Swami Gambirananda and Dr. S. Sankaranarayan stay closest to the Sanskrit construction. Prabhupada’s reads most like modern prose and adds the idea of prescribed duty.

Which translation is best for a first reading?

Swami Sivananda’s is clear and widely available; Prabhupada’s is the most explanatory. Many readers keep one literal and one explanatory translation.

Is there a Hindi translation?

Yes. Swami Ramsukhdas (Sadhak Sanjivani) and Swami Tejomayananda are both included, alongside the Sanskrit.

Can I get a Gita verse every day?

Yes. Pax shows a shloka a day on your new tab, in Sanskrit with the translation you choose.

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