By Jaiprakash Bhande | Spirituality | The WFY Magazine, November, 2025 edition
Discover seven Bhagavad Gita shlokas that guide you to stay calm, focused, and strong when life feels unfair; timeless wisdom for modern inner peace. When life feels painfully unfair, the timeless verses of the Bhagavad Gita remind us that strength lies not in control, but in clarity. Discover seven shlokas that help restore courage, calm, and purpose: powerful insights for the modern mind seeking balance amid chaos.
Life often seems to dish out unfairness: opportunities denied, betrayals suffered, dreams shattered, health failing. In those dark hours, when the weight seems unbearable, ancient wisdom becomes more than comfort, it becomes a guide. The Bhagavad Gītā, composed more than two millennia ago, speaks precisely to such times: its verses are not relics of a distant era but living sparks of insight for those who struggle.
In this article, we explore seven Gītā shlokas that help one remain steadfast, dignified, and active, not defeated, when life feels unjust. These are not prescriptions for passive acceptance, but beacons for inner strength and clarity. We will reflect on their meaning, psychological resonance, and how one might embody them in daily life, especially for the Indian diaspora, often caught between values and pressures, old and new.
Unfairness, Disillusionment, and the Need for Inner Bearings
To live is to confront disparity. Some are born into privilege, others to struggle. Some reap awards, others suffer in silence. The gap between effort and outcome, between intention and recognition, is a terrain many travel. When life feels unfair, two common reactions arise: despair (giving up) or rage (lashing out). Neither sustains.
What we need is a third way: to act from clarity, not from pain; to stay rooted, not brittle; to hold purpose even when reward is delayed or withheld.
This is where the Gītā’s verses shine. They guide us toward inner freedom, not by denying injustice, but by reordering our response to it.
Psychological and spiritual research in recent decades has begun to affirm what the Gītā taught millennia ago: detachment from results, equanimity, and embracing one’s duty can reduce stress, improve mental health, and foster resilience. For example, a 2023 study explored how integrating Gītā-based principles in counselling among Hindu diaspora elders helped reduce anxiety and improve quality of life. (PMC)
Let us now walk through seven pivotal shlokas and see how they can serve as anchors when storms roll in.
1. Karmaṇy-evādhikāras te, mā phaleṣu kadācana (Gītā 2.47)
“Your right is to action alone, never to the fruits.”
This verse is perhaps the most quoted in the Gītā’s message of action without attachment. In full:
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
Translated, “You have the right to perform your duties, but you are never entitled to the fruits. Never let the results be your motive, and never cling to inaction.” (Vedabase)
Why this helps when life feels unfair:
- It redirects your energy from obsessing over what you don’t control (results) to what you do (your action, your intention).
- It breaks the cycle of frustration: if every outcome is a “failure,” one is perpetually demoralised.
- It cultivates inner sovereignty: even if recognition doesn’t come, your dignity and integrity remain intact.
Application in daily life:
- At work: Do your best, but don’t hinge your peace on promotion, praise, or bonus.
- In relationships: Love and support wholeheartedly, without expecting repayment.
- In creative work: Create for art or meaning, not solely for acclaim.
This shloka is foundational to Karma Yoga, the yoga of selfless action, which holds that one can attain spiritual growth without abandoning one’s role in the world. (Wikipedia)
2. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (Gītā 4.7)
“Whenever righteousness declines, I manifest myself.”
When the world tilts into chaos, when injustice becomes widespread, the divine (or cosmic order) intervenes. The verse states:
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥
Even when life feels overwhelmingly unfair, this shloka reminds us that suffering is not the full story, cycles change, good re-emerges, and at times the cosmos itself seeks balance.
Why this matters:
- It injects hope when despair seems natural.
- It affirms that injustice does not get the final word.
- It situates your struggle within a larger rhythm, giving context to suffering.
Practical angle:
- In activism: Know that your small stand can be part of a larger movement.
- In crisis: Remember that your suffering is not ignored, change often rises in hidden ways.
- In faith: Trust that even when you can’t intervene, the moral arc is not indifferent.
3. Sukha-duḥkhe same kṛtvā; lābhālābhau jayājayau (Gītā 2.38)
“Treat pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat equally.”
Life rarely spares us from swings of fortune. This verse counsels us to stand in the centre:
सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ।
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैनं पापमवाप्स्यसि॥
It tells us: whether you gain or lose, win or lose, maintain your equipoise, then act. In that steadiness lies your true strength.
Why this protects against bitterness:
- It prevents you being thrown off by setbacks.
- It keeps pride in check when success arrives.
- It trains the mind to resist being a puppet of external fluctuations.
How to cultivate it:
- In meditation: watch thoughts of success and failure come and go.
- In journaling: note gains and losses without exaggerating either.
- Before reacting: pause and ask, “Which version of me will I choose, regardless of outcome?”
This attitude is linked to samatā (equanimity), a central concept in Indian philosophy that leads to inner freedom. (ijip.in)
4. Na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarmakṛt (Gītā 3.5)
“No one remains inactive, action is forced by nature’s qualities.”
न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत्।
कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः॥
In life’s most inert moments, despair, paralysis, guilt, this reminds us: to not act is itself an action. Nature (Prakṛti) urges movement. Accepting that, we must choose wisely.
Why this matters in the painful silence:
- It liberates guilt about not “doing enough.”
- It accepts that internal inertia is natural; the question is how you channel it.
- It nudges you into conscious action rather than forced reaction.
What to do:
- Even small work counts, a kind word, a gesture of care, a prayer.
- Recognise that doing nothing is not neutral; it has consequences.
- Use awareness to shift from reactive to purposeful action.
5. Yaḥ sarvatra anabhi-snehaḥ, tat tat prāpy aśubhāśubham (Gītā 2.56)
“The one who in all places is free from attachment, achieves equilibrium.”
यः सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम्।
नाभिनन्दति न द्वेष्टि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता॥
This verse describes the wise one whose vision is steady: delight and disgust, praise and blame, nothing moves him. He sees both “good” and “bad” without being pulled. That is the anchor in hurricanes.
In lives of unfairness:
- Attachment to pleasure, fear of pain, both trap us.
- When fortune shifts, as it must, we don’t collapse.
- Our dignity lies not in condition, but in seeing clearly.
Exercise:
- Observe emotional responses without judgement.
- Respond, don’t react, and choose your next action.
- Anchor identity in the self, not in circumstances.
6. Mayy eva mana ādhyat tvam mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya (Gītā 12.8)
“Fix your mind in me; in me place your understanding.”
मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय।
निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न शोकः॥
This instructs to anchor the mind in the divine, in the ground of being, rather than in the shifting tides of events. When we centre ourselves in that deeper source, grief and fear cannot grip us.
Why this is radical:
- It shifts identification from outer to inner.
- It offers refuge beyond situation, beyond fickle fortune.
- It rewires longing toward the eternal, not the ephemeral.
Practices:
- Prayer, mantra, meditation, sacred reading.
- Return attention to the still point when turmoil rages.
- Let the divine (God, Self, Consciousness) be your reference, not outcomes.
7. Ahaṁ hi sarvayōjana vyāpto yogino ’nupamaḥ (Gītā 6.4)
“I pervade all paths, the wise one renounces attachment to both pleasure and pain.”
अहं हि सर्वयोजनव्याप्तो योगिनोऽनुपमः।
कर्मसङ्गं त्यक्त्वा सुखं वा दुःखं वा भुञ्जते॥
This describes an ideal: act, live fully in the world, but without attachment. A yogin remains rooted, even while joy and sorrow touch the body. Life’s unfairness cannot destabilise him.
Why this is the culmination:
- It combines engagement with inner freedom.
- It dissolves the tension between spiritual withdrawal and worldly participation.
- It points to mastery: you live, but you are not lived by.
How to integrate it:
- Do your duty passionately, but offer results.
- Celebrate joy, accept sorrow, both with equal welcome.
- Cultivate the “witness” within: you are the awareness behind experience.
Turning the Shlokas into Practice: A Five-Step Pathway
To move from reading these verses to living them, here is a practical roadmap:
- Daily Reflection
Pick one shloka each week. Meditate on its meaning at dawn or dusk. Let it seep in. - Journal Encounter
When you feel life is unfair, note the event, then ask: which verse calls me now? How could I act differently? - Micro-Practices
- In frustration: return to 2.47 (“I act, I release”).
- In injustice: remember 4.7, change may be unfolding.
- In success/failure: invoke 2.38’s balance.
- In inaction: recall 3.5, make a small move.
- In crisis: anchor in 12.8.
- In deep storms: read 6.4 and breathe into equanimity.
- Community Ritual
In family or group, pick a verse, discuss what it means in your life. Spiritual practices thrive in fellowship. - Long-term Growth
Revisit the verses over months, in deeper study, with commentaries, alternating Sanskrit and translation. You may find new layers each time.
Why These Verses Still Resonate, Even for Diaspora
Why should someone living far from the land of Sanskrit manuscripts or temple precincts care about these verses?
- Universality of suffering: The pain of unfairness is not bound by geography.
- Cultural continuity: For the diaspora, Gītā serves as a spiritual bridge to roots.
- Psychological scaffolding: Modern research shows detachment, equanimity, and purpose reduce stress, depression, anxiety. The Gītā maps these as spiritual disciplines.
- Identity in flux: When values waver, these verses offer an inner anchor, a stable reference point beyond temporal winds.
In Indian psychology, the Gītā is not simply scripture but a lived system, “Indian spiritual psychology” continues to draw from it as a model to integrate inner wellbeing and outer life. (lakshminarayanlenasia.com)
Thus, for the diaspora, these seven verses are more than distant echoes, they are inner compass for living whole in a fragmented world.
A Final Reflection
When life seems unbearably unfair, one could sink into resentment, despair, or cynicism. But a different posture is possible: one of dignity, clarity, and purpose.
These seven shlokas do not promise a life without pain. They do not erase sorrow. What they do is offer a vantage: stand in the centre, not flung by every wind. Act, but do not be weighed by results. See your trials as teachers. Anchor your mind beyond circumstance. Walk with the dignity of one who belongs, to the Self, to truth, to purpose.
May these verses illuminate your path when the road is dark, and may their wisdom stir courage in your heart.
Disclaimer: This article is for general spiritual insight and personal reflection. It is not intended to substitute religious counsel, psychological therapy, or medical advice. Readers should consult qualified professionals in relevant fields for specific guidance.