Gita 18.26

Sadhak: "This seems like an impossible ideal. How can someone be enthusiastic AND non-attached? If I don't care about results, where's the enthusiasm?"

Guru: "The confusion is thinking enthusiasm requires attachment. Watch a child play—full enthusiasm, zero attachment to outcomes. They're absorbed in playing, not in winning. That's the natural state. We layer attachment on top and then mistake it for motivation. Remove the layer; enthusiasm remains."

Sadhak: "What about determination—dhriti? Doesn't determination require wanting a particular outcome?"

Guru: "Determination can be toward the doing rather than the result. The marathon runner is determined to run well—each step, each breath—not determined that they MUST win. Determination toward excellent action differs from attachment to specific outcomes. One sustains energy; the other creates anxiety."

Sadhak: "And 'anaham-vadi'—no ego-speech. Does this mean never taking credit?"

Guru: "It means not NEEDING credit. The sattvic doer can acknowledge their role factually—'Yes, I did that'—without the ego-assertion of 'I am great because I did that.' The difference is subtle but crucial. One is factual reporting; the other is identity-building on achievements."

Sadhak: "How can I be unchanged by failure? That seems like denial or suppression."

Guru: "'Nirvikara' isn't denial—it's deeper than the success/failure level. The sattvic doer DOES register results; they just don't let results determine their stability. Learning from failure? Yes. Adjusting strategy? Yes. Collapsing into 'I'm worthless' or inflating into 'I'm great'? No. Their identity isn't built on outcomes."