Karya and akarya

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

A. As long as we are in maya, we cannot be certain, like Krishn, about what we should do or say. In this case, see what people senior to you, in terms of experience and wisdom, have done, and listen to your conscience.

Then decide. Akarya is essential when the matter does not concern us. Remaining quiet sometimes hastens the solution to the problem.

On the other hand, as Krishn says, speak up and act if the issue pertains to causing hurt to another person, or it is about loss of life. So, when Yudhishthir made the mistake of staking Draupadi in the game of dice, and all the brothers stayed quiet, Krishn told them, 'It was blatant that Shakuni was a cheat, and he was cheating. If I had been there, I would have stopped the game of dice.' Be like Vikarna, the only one to protest his brother Duryodhan's actions in the Kaurav Sabha.

However, we should not get into useless conflicts. It could help strengthen the cause, but sometimes, we might just be adding to the noise. We must ask ourselves honestly, 'Why am I keeping quiet, is it because my interests are involved, or am I keeping quiet because there is no point in it?' In a conflict, we can offer succour to the people.

Get directly involved only if it will make a difference and your voice will be heard. Generally, a conflict is the handiwork of many people, some of whom are quite unsavoury. So, we don't want to become their tools.