Moksha Sannyasa Yoga
मोक्ष संन्यास योग
यस्य नाहंकृतो भावो बुद्धिर्यस्य न लिप्यते । हत्वाऽपि स इमाँल्लोकान्न हन्ति न निबध्यते ॥ 18:17॥
यस्य न अहङ्कृतः भावः, बुद्धिः यस्य न लिप्यते— हत्वा अपि सः इमान् लोकान् न हन्ति न नि-बध्यते।
यस्य (जिसका) अहङ्कृतः ("मैं कर्ता हूँ") भावः (ऐसा भाव) न (नहीं है), यस्य (जिसकी) बुद्धिः (बुद्धि) न (नहीं) लिप्यते (लिप्त होती) सः (वह) इमान् (इन) लोकान् (लोकों को) हत्वा (मारकर) अपि (भी) न (नहीं) हन्ति (मारता है), न (न ही) नि-बध्यते (बंधन में बँधता है)।
Hindi
जिसके अंतःकरण में ‘मैं कर्ता हूँ’, ऐसा भाव नहीं है, तथा जिसकी बुद्धि {सांसारिक वस्तुओं और कर्मों में} लिप्त नहीं होती, वह इन सब लोगों को मारकर भी वास्तव में न तो मारता है और न कर्म-बंधन से बँधता है {न पाप का भागी होता है}।
English
"I am the doer"—in whose conscience there is no such feeling, and whose mind is free from worldly entanglements, he would not kill despite killing all these people {on this battlefield} and would not fall into bondage (would not get tainted by sin). (18:17)
English
"I am not the doer" may perplex many new readers. If "I" am not the "doer," who else could be? Even readers who have studied the Gitā for a long time might not have developed clarity on the matter because God has made many statements in the Sacred Book that do not quite seem to match each other. Take the following verses, for example: God, the Lord of the Universe, does not create the agency of people's actions, nor does He instigate their deeds. Neither does He connect individuals' actions to their consequences or outcomes. All of these aspects are orchestrated by their individual own nature. (5:14) The verse essentially conveys that each person fully owns their actions and the outcomes they bring. However, verse 11:34 preesnts an entirely different picture: Bestow death upon Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna, and other mighty warriors I have already slain. Shed your fear and fight! You shall conquer your enemies in the battle! (11:34) Given the principle enunciated in verse 5:14, how can Arjuna believe that it is not "he," but God, who is going to kill the enemies in the upcoming battle? God is now saying in verse 11:34 that He has already killed the enemies—or scripted their demise in the battle—so Arjuna has only to complete a formality without fear of the consequences of being punished for the sins of killing his kith and kin. Now, the question is: what would happen to the "ownership of actions" principle put forward in verse 5:14? The unique circumstance prompting God's statement has been elaborated in the accompanying note to verse 11.34. I encourage the reader to peruse that note for enhanced understanding. Nevertheless, I wish to offer an additional insight here to illuminate this matter further. As previously discussed, the concepts of "fate" and "destiny" hold significance. According to the Bhagavad-Gitā, individuals shape their destiny through their actions. Whether virtuous, malicious, or a blend of both, one's deeds, enacted by their own free will, yield fruits of "good" or "bad" nature. Rebirth is necessitated to experience the fruits of past actions. Our current life is a blend of inherited destiny from past actions and the ongoing creation of destiny through present deeds. In the context of the war, the fates of Bhishma, Karna, Drona, and others were predetermined. Their destinies had already scripted their demise in this conflict. This destiny, sculpted by Nature under the overarching control and guidance of God, was known to Sri Krishna. Indeed, glimpses of forthcoming destiny are perceivable even by enlightened sages. Therefore, when the Lord mentioned that He had already vanquished Bhishma, Drona, and Karna, He alluded to their destined defeat on the battlefield orchestrated by Nature under His guidance. In essence, they had, in a sense, already met their fate as decreed by God. Therefore, the general principle indicated in verse 5:14 regarding human free will and the "ownership of actions and their results" remains true despite God's utterances in verse 11:34, as 11:34 does not contradict 5:14. Any contradiction is apparent, not real. Still, more needs to be said to facilitate understanding why God asks Arjuna not to have the feeling that 'I (Arjuna) am the doer or killer' in verse 18:17. The reason was explained to Arjuna way back in verse 3:27, so God is not saying anything new. Verse 3:27 reads as under: The three Modes of Nature (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas) are there as doers behind all actions, but the one who is besieged by ego thinks themselves to be the doer. (3:27)^3 God has explained in verse 15:16 that we have two selves: the real Self (soul) and the pseudo self (the empirical self constituted by mind, ego, and intelligence). The former is a portion of God, and the latter is a creation of the three Modes of Nature. The unenlightened think that they are the empirical self. The transition to spirituality is marked by a shifting of one's conception of self to the imperishable real Self, the soul, which is a portion of God. With a true shift in outlook, everything changes. One starts viewing all one's actions as being performed or guided by Nature's three modes and separates oneself from that empirical "I," also becoming detached from the material body and the temporal universe. God is simply asking Arjuna to shift to this elevated outlook. In doing so, Arjuna will be freed from the duality of virtuous and vicious deeds, and therefore from sins.
^1 न कर्तृत्वं न कर्माणि लोकस्य सृजति प्रभुः। न कर्मफलसंयोगं स्वभावस्तु प्रवर्तते।। 5:14. ^2 द्रोणं च भीष्मं च जयद्रथं च कर्णं तथान्यानपि योधवीरान्। मया हतांस्त्वं जहि मा व्यथिष्ठा युध्यस्व जेतासि रणे सपत्नान्।। 11:34 प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः। अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते।। 3:27 ^3 प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः। अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते।। 3:27