18.17

।।18.17।। -- यस्य शास्त्राचार्योपदेशन्यायसंस्कृतात्मनः न भवति अहंकृतः अहं कर्ता इत्येवंलक्षणः भावः भावना प्रत्ययः -- एते एव पञ्च अधिष्ठानादयः अविद्यया आत्मनि कल्पिताः सर्वकर्मणां कर्तारः? न अहम्? अहं तु तद्व्यापाराणां साक्षिभूतः अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्रो ह्यक्षरात्परतः परः (मु0 उ0 2।1।2) केवलः अविक्रियः इत्येवं पश्यतीति एतत् -- बुद्धिः अन्तःकरणं यस्य आत्मनः,उपाधिभूता न लिप्यते न अनुशयिनी भवति -- इदमहमकार्षम्? तेन अहं नरकं गमिष्यामि इत्येवं यस्य बुद्धिः न लिप्यते -- सः सुमतिः? सः पश्यति। हत्वा अपि सः इमान् लोकान्? सर्वान् इमान् प्राणिनः इत्यर्थः? न हन्ति हननक्रियां न करोति? न निबध्यते नापि तत्कार्येण अधर्मफलेन संबध्यते।।ननु हत्वापि न हन्ति इति विप्रतिषिद्धम् उच्यते यद्यपि स्तुतिः। नैष दोषः? लौकिकपारमार्थिकदृष्ट्यपेक्षया तदुपपत्तेः। देहाद्यात्मबुद्ध्या हन्ता अहम् इति लौकिकीं दृष्टिम् आश्रित्य हत्वापि इति आह। यथादर्शितां पारमार्थिकीं दृष्टिम् आश्रित्य न हन्ति न निबध्यते इति। एतत् उभयम् उपपद्यते एव।।ननु अधिष्ठानादिभिः संभूय करोत्येव आत्मा? कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु (गीता 18।16) इति केवलशब्दप्रयोगात्। नैष दोषः? आत्मनः अविक्रियस्वभावत्वे अधिष्ठानादिभिः संहतत्वानुपपत्तेः। विक्रियावतो हि अन्यैः संहननं संभवति? संहत्य वा कर्तृत्वं स्यात्। न तु अविक्रियस्य आत्मनः केनचित् संहननम् अस्ति इति न संभूय कर्तृत्वम् उपपद्यते। अतः केवलत्वम् आत्मनः स्वाभाविकमिति केवलशब्दः अनुवादमात्रम्। अविक्रियत्वं च आत्मनः श्रुतिस्मृतिन्यायप्रसिद्धम्। अविकार्योऽयमुच्यते (गीता 2।25) गुणैरेव कर्माणि क्रियन्ते शरीरस्थोऽपि न करोति (गीता 13।31) इत्यादि असकृत् उपपादितं गीतास्वेव तावत्। श्रुतिषु च ध्यायतीव लेलायतीव इत्येवमाद्यासु। न्यायतश्च -- निरवयवम् अपरतन्त्रम् अविक्रियम् आत्मतत्त्वम् इति राजमार्गः। विक्रियावत्त्वाभ्युपगमेऽपि आत्मनः स्वकीयैव विक्रिया स्वस्य भवितुम् अर्हति? न अधिष्ठानादीनां कर्माणि आत्मकर्तृकाणि स्युः। न हि परस्य कर्म परेण अकृतम् आगन्तुम् अर्हति। यत्तु अविद्यया गमितम्? न तत् तस्य। यथा रजतत्वं न शुक्तिकायाः यथा वा तलमलिनत्वं बालैः गमितम् अविद्यया? न आकाशस्य? तथा अधिष्ठानादिविक्रियापि तेषामेव? न आत्मनः। तस्मात् युक्तम् उक्तम् अहंकृतत्वबुद्धिलेपाभावात् विद्वान् न हन्ति न निबध्यते इति। नायं हन्ति न हन्यते (गीता 2।19) इति प्रतिज्ञाय न जायते (गीता 2।20) इत्यादिहेतुवचनेन अविक्रियत्वम् आत्मनः उक्त्वा? वेदाविनाशिनम् (गीता 2।21) इति विदुषः कर्माधिकारनिवृत्तिं शास्त्रादौ संक्षेपतः उक्त्वा? मध्ये प्रसारितां तत्र तत्र प्रसङ्गं कृत्वा इह उपसंहरति शास्त्रार्थपिण्डीकरणाय विद्वान् न हन्ति न निबध्यते इति। एवं च सति देहभृत्त्वाभिमानानुपपत्तौ अविद्याकृताशेषकर्मसंन्यासोपपत्तेः संन्यासिनाम् अनिष्टादि त्रिविधं कर्मणः फलं न भवति इति उपपन्नम् तद्विपर्ययाच्च इतरेषां भवति इत्येतच्च अपरिहार्यम् इति एषः गीताशास्त्रार्थः उपसंहृतः। स एषः सर्ववेदार्थसारः निपुणमतिभिः पण्डितैः विचार्य प्रतिपत्तव्यः इति तत्र तत्र प्रकरणविभागेन दर्शितः अस्माभिः शास्त्रन्यायानुसारेण।।अथ इदानीं कर्मणां प्रवर्तकम् उच्यते --,

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18.17 He who, through the contemplation of the agency of the Supreme Being, is free from the self-conceit, 'I alone do everything'; he whose understanding is not therefore tainted, and has come to be informed by the understanding; 'As I am not the agent of this work, its fruit is not connected with me; so this work does not belong to me' - such a person, though he slays all these men, not merely Bhisma, etc., does not slay them. Therefore, he is not bound by the actions known as battle. The meaning is that the fruits of such actions do not accrue to him. Sri Krsna now teaches how action is induced. For this he differentiates actions generated by Sattva and the other Gunas. The object is to inculcate the desirability of the Sattvika type. For, only meditation on the self not being the agent, brings about the growth of Sattva.

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18.17 यस्य whose? न not? अहंकृतः egoistic? भावः the notion? बुद्धिः intelligence? यस्य of whom? न not? लिप्यते is tainted? हत्वा having slain? अपि even? सः he? इमान् these? लोकान् people? न not? हन्ति slays? न not? निबध्यते is bound.Commentary I will explain to thee? O Arjuna? the characterisitics of the man who has transcended activity? and who has gone beyond the bonds of Karma.When selfishnes and egoism are destroyed? when desire and personal gain are renounced? actions cannot bind a man. He knows that the Self is not destroyed when the body perishes. He has no idea of agency. The act of killing itself? in his case? becomes one necessary for the peace and harmony of the world. His killing without desire is like the killing of a murderer by the executioner and the judge on behalf of the community for the preservation of peace and harmony in the world.He who has a trained intellect? pure understanding and developed reason? who has a knowledge of the scriptures? who has devoted himself to the study of the scriptures? who is eipped with the knowledge of logic? who is well trained by the instructions of his preceptor? is absolutely free from the egoistic notion that I am the agent or the doer. He knows perfectly well that Nature or Guna or ones own nature does everything. He thus thinks I am the silent witness of all activities. I am not the doer. These five (the body? the actor? etc.) which are superimposed on the pure? actionless Self through ignorance are the causes of all actions. I do not do anything. The senses move amongst the senseobjects. The alities (Gunas) move in their counterparts in the senses which are also the products of the Gunas. I know the essence of the divisions of the alities and their functions. I am in essence without limbs. How can action or work be ascribed to me I am without hands? without legs? without feet? without breath and without mind. I am ever pure? spotless and immovable and immutable. He will never repent thus I have done a wrong action. I ought to have done like this. I have done an evil action. I will go to hell. He is always wise. He can,never do a wrong action. His will has become one with the cosmic will. His will has become blended with the will of the Lord. Whatever he does is done by the Lord only. He has no will of his own. He sees rightly. Though he kills? he does not commit the act of killing. He is not bound by the fruit of a vicious action as an effect of that act. He is beyond good and evil? beyond the pairs of opposites? as he has knowledge of the Self.An objector says The statement that though he kills these people? he does not kill? is selfcontradictory.We say This objection is really not tenable. From the worldly point of view the Lord says though he kills? because man identifies the Self with the body? etc.? and thinks I am the killer. From the transcendental point of view explained above? the Lord says? He kills not? he is not bound.Another objector says The Self acts in conjunction with the body? etc.? -- He who looks upon his Self Which is isolated? as the agent৷৷. (XVIII.16)We say This objection also cannot stand. As the omnipresent ether is not affected by reason of its subtlety? even so the Self? seated everywhere in the body? is not affected. This immortal? immutable? changeless? formless? attributeless Self? though seated in the body? does not act and is not affected? just as the crystal is not affected by the red colour of the flower that comes into contact with it? just as the sun is not affected by the diseases of the eye. A thing that changes only can join with others and become the agent. The Self is always isolated? independent and free. This Self is immutable (II.25). The alities move amidst the alities (III.28). Though seated in the body? He does not act (XIII.31). Actions are wrought by the alities (III.27). You will find in the Brihadaranyaka were. By reasoning also we may establish the same conclusion thusThe Self is indivisible? allpervading? infinite? limbless? without parts? independent? ever free and immutable. Therefore the actions of the body can never be ascribed to the agency of the Self.Verily the actions of one cannot go to another who has not done them. Just as blue colour cannot belong to the sky? silver to the motherofpearl? water to mirage? so also what is ascribed to the Self by ignorance cannot really belong to It. The changes that occur in the body pertain to the body but not to the pure actionless Self which is always the spectator or the silent witness. Therefore? it is right to say that the wise man who is free from egoism and all impurities of the mind? neither kills nor is he bound though he kills.In chapter II.19? the Lord stated the proposition -- He slayeth not? nor is he slain. In chapter II.20? He said The Self is unborn? eternal? ancient the Self is not slain when the body is killed. The Lord has touched here and there that the Self is not affected by works? that there is no necessity for the wise man of doing actions. He concludes that the sage kills not? nor is he bound? and sums up the teaching of the Gita. The teaching of the Gita has been concluded in this verse. The Sannyasins who are free from egoism are not affected by Karma. The threefold fruits of action? viz.? evil? good and mixed (see verse 12 above) do not accrue to them. Those worldlyminded persons who work with egoism and expectation of fruits are tainted by the works. They are forced to experience the fruits of their actions and to take birth again and again. (Cf.II.19V.7)

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