Verse 18.16
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः | पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः ||१६||
Transliteration (IAST)
tatraivam sati kartāram ātmānaṁ kevalaṁ tu yaḥ | paśyaty akṛta-buddhitvān na sa paśyati durmatiḥ ||16||
Word-by-Word Meanings
tatra-there/in this matter
kartāram-as the doer
ātmānam-the self
kevalam-alone/only
paśyati-sees
akṛta-buddhitvāt-due to untrained intellect
na sa paśyati-he does not see (truly)
durmatiḥ-of perverted understanding
Translation
Therefore, one who, due to untrained intellect, sees the self alone as the doer - that person of perverted understanding does not truly see.
Commentary
Krishna condemns the false identification of the pure self with agency. Shankaracharya explains that the self (ātman) is actionless by nature; attributing doership to it alone, ignoring the other four factors, is ignorance. Ramanuja interprets this as the error of not recognizing God's role as the ultimate controller behind all action.
Themes
jnanaatman