Perform Your Duty: Returning to Structure Through the Bhagavad Gita
To reset, I returned to something simple. I read one verse from the Bhagavad Gita and decided to sit with it slowly.
“You have the right to perform your duty, but not to the fruits of your actions.”
Bhagavad Gita 2.47
This verse is timeless and deeply practical. It has the power to remove chaos and bring us back to structure, provided we are willing to understand it properly.
The Right to Perform Your Duty
When the Gita speaks about our right to perform our duty, it points to something liberating. We control effort, not outcomes.
You can develop good software.
You can prepare thoroughly for a presentation.
You can train hard at the gym.
You can practice your cricket shots.
You can speak to someone you like with honesty and confidence.
What you cannot control is how the world responds.
A well built product may not sell.
A strong presentation may not be liked.
A well played innings may still end early.
A genuine connection may not turn into a lifelong relationship.
Preparation is in our hands. Results are not.
This distinction is not meant to discourage us. It is meant to free us. When we focus entirely on what is within our control, effort becomes peaceful and disciplined rather than anxious and chaotic.
The Gita does not say that we should not care about results.
It says that we should not attach ourselves to them.
Care deeply about preparation. Let outcomes arrive in their own time.
Input Over Output
Much of modern stress comes from obsessing over outputs instead of refining inputs.
You can control how consistently you work, how focused your effort is, how well you take care of your body, and how disciplined your routine becomes.
You cannot directly control praise, recognition, applause, or immediate success.
Fitness is a result. Working out is a duty.
Success is a result. Discipline is a duty.
Recognition is a result. Craft is a duty.
When inputs are taken seriously, outputs tend to follow naturally and sustainably.
Focus on the Craft, Not the Audience
In cricket, the batter focuses on the release of the ball, the field placement, the backlift, and the follow through. Thinking about scoring a century while the ball is being bowled only increases the chances of failure.
The same applies to work and creativity.
Sing well. Do not chase applause.
Build well. Do not chase validation.
Prepare well. Do not chase outcomes.
If the audience appreciates your work, that is a result.
If they do not, improve the craft.
Either way, your responsibility remains the same. Perform your duty.
A Real Lesson From the Hackathon
This idea became very real for me during a recent hackathon.
The experience was intense, with multiple calls, constant messages, and a pace that bordered on chaos. In hindsight, I allowed that chaos. While I was inspired by stories of extreme work ethic, such as Jensen Huang’s early years at NVIDIA, I misunderstood something important. Long hours do not mean continuous output. They also include thinking, silence, reflection, and rest.
Our team was small. Much of the product’s backend and user experience was built by me. The application worked well. The design was clean. The experience was solid. Another teammate presented the final demo and naturally received more visibility.
Did that mean I lost? No.
I gained something more valuable. Deep hands on experience, confidence in using new tools, insight into presentation skills, and appreciation from my manager and team.
He may have won the moment. I won the process.
Processes compound.
Returning to Structure
This experience reminded me of something simple but powerful. Discipline must come before success.
Leaving work on time to go to the gym.
Protecting focused work blocks.
Reducing reactive communication.
Creating space for thinking.
These are not luxuries. They are duties.
The obsession with quick success often leads us away from structure. The Gita reminds us that structure itself is the path.
Perform Your Duty
The message is simple, though not easy.
Perform your duty.
Prepare fully.
Control what you can.
Release what you cannot.
When effort becomes your responsibility and results become life’s responsibility, work becomes lighter, discipline becomes natural, and chaos slowly dissolves.
That is not just spiritual wisdom.
That is practical living.
And that, perhaps, is the true depth of the Bhagavad Gita.
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