Doing work without attachment that man attains to the highest.

Karma Yoga

Chapter 3, Verse 19

 

tasmād asaktaḥ satataṁ 

kāryaṁ karma samācara 

asakto hyācaran karma 

param-āpnoti pūruṣaḥ

 

Therefore, without attachment, perform ever the work that is to be done, for it is by doing work without attachment that man attains to the highest.

 

This doesn’t mean that God-realised souls don’t act in the world. They do! But they are not bound by their actions. They help to maintain the balance in the world, but they have no attachment to what they do or to what they don’t do. They go with their intuition. It’s not them – they are guided. Everything happens, everything is taken care of automatically. Such a state – this is the highest good for humanity. Not only for them, also for the people around. They are centred in the Supreme. In this state there is no creation of karma. Such a person renounces all, even the punya! Everything is dissolved. Here Krishna says to Arjuna, “Do this kind of work, where you are not attached to your duty. Know that it is not you doing it, but the Supreme inside of you. That’s your dharma.” Again and again, Krishna reminds Arjuna to do his dharma, saying, “Go and fight now! Because your dharma is to fight. Just do it! Don’t think about it!”

Bhagavad Gita