Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 47

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥

karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana | mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo'stv akarmaṇi ||

You have a right to action alone, never to its fruits. Let not the fruit of action be your motive, nor let there be in you any attachment to inaction.

The Gita's most famous verse, embodying Karma Yoga—the path of action without attachment. Krishna gives three instructions: First, 'karmaṇy evādhikāras te'—you have rights to action alone, to doing your work, your dharma. That's your domain. Second, 'mā phaleṣu kadācana'—never to outcomes. You don't control results; countless factors beyond you do. Third, 'mā karma-phala-hetur bhūḥ'—don't let outcome-desire drive you, or you're enslaved to results. But also 'mā te saṅgo'stv akarmaṇi'—don't use this as an excuse for inaction. The essence: Do your work fully, excellently, but release desperate grasping at outcomes. Act because it's right, not because you're chasing specific results.