Manu Bhaker created history by winning the first bronze medal for India in the women's 10m air pistol shooting final at the Paris Olympics. After the win, Manu Bhaker revealed how the teachings of Lord Krishna and the Bhagavad Gita helped her focus on 'karma' in the women's 10m air pistol shooting final and win India's first medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The 22-year-old shooter has created history by becoming the first Indian woman shooter to win a medal at the Olympics.

Manu Bhaker, a 22-year-old shooter from Jhajjar in Haryana, created history at the Paris Games by becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics. Bhaker finished third in the final with a score of 221.7 at the Chateauroux Shooting Center.

How did the Bhagavad Gita help Manu?

Speaking after winning her first Olympic medal, Manu Bhaker spoke about how teachings from Lord Krishna and the Bhagavad Gita helped her calm her nerves in the final and win the first medal for her country at the Paris Games.

Talking about what was going through her mind during the tense final, Bhaker said that being an avid reader of the Bhagavad Gita, she remembered Lord Krishna's words to Arjuna during the Mahabharata and her focus was only on the process.

Do your work, don't worry about the result

During the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna had told Arjuna, "Do your duty and do not worry about the result." Quoting Lord Krishna's words from the Gita, Bhaker said that she was not worried about the result and wanted to focus on her karma during the final.

She said that what Shri Krishna had told Arjuna was to focus on karma, not on the fruit. At that time I was only thinking about this and did the same.

Manu revealed that it was a surreal feeling for her to win India's first medal at the Paris Games and lauded the entire shooting contingent for their hard work ahead of the Olympics. The 22-year-old said she is proud of her effort and gave her best till her last shot in the final to ensure she doesn't finish outside the top three.

What did Lord Krishna say in the Bhagavad Gita?

Just before the start of the Mahabharata war, Lord Krishna preached to Arjuna, son of Pandavas, in the middle of the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

The sermon given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna is famous as Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta. Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta is a part of the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. This book has 18 chapters and 700 verses.

In Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta, Shri Krishna inspires us to do our duty. Many verses in Geeta teach us the philosophy of life and the art of living. Manu Bhaker mentioned the philosophy of Geeta after winning the Olympic medal.

These are the verses in Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta on karma and the fruits of karma.

Karmanyevadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachan.
Maa Karmaphalheturbhurma te Sangostvakarmani.
(Chapter II, Verse 47)

That means you have a right only on your actions, you have no right on the fruits of your actions. So do your work, but do not worry about the results. You have a right only on performing your duty, not on the fruits. So you should neither become the cause of the fruits of your actions nor should you get attached to inaction.