When you do something, it is not unnatural to expect a return. This return is called Phalam or fruit. Karma means action and Karmaphalam means the fruit of the action. Now the person who does the work/action/Karma, whatever you call it, is entitled to imagine the reward he wants, and aspire for it. Nothing wrong in that. He also has the other alternative of not wanting anything. This may not be common but it is an alternative nevertheless. Relinquishing the fruit of action is called Karmaphala Tyagam.

Suppose the person aspires for the fruit of action or Karmaphalam. Then that person has also got to be prepared for duality. He may want happiness; he may get it too; but he must not be surprised if one day he is visited by pain. Pleasure and pain are two sides of the same coin; joy and sorrow are two sides of the same coin. You cannot have a coin with just one side only. If you work for, ask for, and aspire for one side, the other side will one day automatically come to you even if you don’t want it; no escape! You ask for pleasure, feel happy when you get it but later cry when pain descends. Never forget that pain has to follow pleasure.