The Gita preaching fatalism?

Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana

Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani
-Chapter 2, Shloka 47, the Bhagavad Gita

This is commonly translated as: Do your duty without thinking about the results.

Many, including myself, have found this oversimplified translation to be very confusing. (No offense meant to the great scholars who have read the Gita and translated it for the benefit of the masses.) So, here is a little more on the verse.

The context:
As Swami Chinmayananda has said lucidly, The Bhagavad Gita is told not in a serene environment like a forest with chirping birds and playful deer, but in a very violent atmosphere-right in the middle of a gory battlefield! What does this mean?
Very simple-The teachings of the Gita are not be read and practiced after retirement, after we have lived the best part of our lives (similar to the peaceful forest), but right during our eventful lives, which are full of problems (represented by the battlefield).

Now to the verse. If we are supposed to work without expecting any result, isn’t it useless? That is, only if we have a goal can we proceed progressively. Blindly walking without any directions will lead us to nowhere. So, does the Gita preach fatalism?

Not at all!
The charioteer only tells Dhananjaya (Arjuna) that one must do his duty with full sincerity, but without thinking about the results all the time. Worrying about the consequences only diverts one’s focus away from the goal. Whatever one does, must be done as if it is an offering to the Lord-this is called “Arpana Buddhi”, and whatever results he/she gets as a results of that action, must be accepted with equanimity, as it is the gift we have got-this is “Prasaada Buddhi”.

In a nutshell, do your everyday work sincerely, and accept the result graciously. That is, the result will come as a result of your present and past Karma-while you don’t have to worry about it, YOU HAVE TO PUT IN YOUR EFFORTS!