Bhagavad Gita 11.33 · Krishna
Be the instrument
तस्मात्त्वमुत्तिष्ठ यशो लभस्व
जित्वा शत्रून् भुङ्क्ष्व राज्यं समृद्धम्।
मयैवैते निहताः पूर्वमेव
निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन्॥
tasmāttvamuttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṃ samṛddhammayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvameva nimittamātraṃ bhava savyasācin
So stand up and win honour. Conquer and enjoy a thriving kingdom. They are already slain by Me. Be only the instrument, Savyasachin.
What it means
Krishna calls Arjuna Savyasachin, the archer who shoots with both hands. Stand up, he says. Then a profound phrase. Nimitta-matram bhava. Be merely the instrument. The outcome is already set in motion. Arjuna isn't the author of it all. He's asked to play his rightful part with humility, free of ego.
The story
This doesn't erase Arjuna's responsibility. It removes his crushing sense that everything depends on him alone. A violin doesn't compose the symphony. It plays its part, beautifully.
In your life
Think of a surgeon who says after a successful operation, I was just the hands. Humility frees us to do our best. In one task today, see yourself as an instrument of something good.
Be the instrument. Let go of the ego.