One of the most important chapters of Geeta, where Krishna tells how to do action, how to use action for Self development and liberation.  Everybody does action, even for a second we can’t but do act.  So if we are wise, we can use the action itself for the self development.  It’s like breathing, any way we have to breath, if we learn the pranayams/Kriyas  then we can use get the full potential of breath

First few verses starts with the doubt of Arjuna, where he got confused.   In the previous chapter, Krishna spoke in length of Self Knowledge,  controlling the desires, Liberation  and all,  but finally Krishna says fight this war.   So Arjuna got confused between the two paths Path of Knowledge (Reading books, Contemplation, Meditation…)  & Path of Action( doing the Right Action ).

 Krishna says these are two paths for self development.  Where the path of meditation requires some  level of maturity of the mind. For the majority of us, who are so used to action, who still has lots of latent impressions/desires of the past, still left,  these paths are to be followed done one after the another.   So by doing the “Right action” , these  latent impressions are wiped out , Knowledge makes more sense, and then mediation happens properly, to reach to the self.

  Path of Action  ----(followed by )  à Path of Knowledge

Krishna says a beautiful concept, that you can’t become action less, by not acting. You can go beyond action, only through action, and not otherwise.  “Action is superior to Inaction”.   Krishna goes to saying that  “People who seem to be meditative/contemplative for the outer world, but keeps thinking of the objects in his mind, is a hypocrite”. 

Right Action  is “Engaging in action, by controlling the senses, without attachment of the outcome.”, means just doing the things 100% , utilizing your full potential , without  spending time/energy worrying about the result.  Because we have seen in our experience,  that  we don’t have the complete, full control of the results of our action, all the time.    Our actions yields results definitely, but only that we don’t have the full control of it.

According to my understanding, action can be done in three ways

1) Doing action, for the result.    (Almost the entire humanity is doing action for  a result. So what is wrong here? Krishna says that desire, is the source of all EVIL. ( Read 2^nd chapter summary ). If we think properly, and look at our life, can’t help but appreciate the truth of this statement.

2) Just doing the action, 100%, without worrying about the result.  (Eg. Small children doing any activity, and look how happy they are. Without worrying about the result).

3 ) Doing any action , as any offering/sacrifice ( yagna ) .   Just seeing the actions as a happening, where you have a role. (e.g.  Imagine an electrical circuit, where not one component can claim importance, as everything has a role to play, and all are important.  If all components functions properly, then the device functions properly as a whole.  Imagine we are just one small capacitor/conductor in the whole circuit).   For e.g.  Krishna quotes the nature does actions like this as a happening, without expecting anything in return, and see how powerful nature is.