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तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः।पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः।।18.16।।

tatraivaṁ sati kartāram ātmānaṁ kevalaṁ tu yaḥ paśhyaty akṛita-buddhitvān na sa paśhyati durmatiḥ

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 18, Verse 16
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
Now, such being the case, verily he who, owing to an untrained understanding, looks upon his Self, which is isolated, as the agent, he of perverted intelligence does not see.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: this being so, one who, due to untrained understanding, sees the self alone as the agent, does not see rightly, naming a specific error, total self-attribution for outcomes, that ignores this whole five-factor structure entirely.

In life: taking total personal credit or blame for an outcome, while ignoring the other genuine contributing factors, is specifically named here as an error in perception, not just an exaggeration or a modest overstatement.

Teaching: the next time you catch yourself taking total personal credit or blame for something, treat that as an actual error in perception per this verse, not simply an understandable exaggeration, and correct it by naming the other real contributing factors.

tatrathere
evam satiin spite of this
kartāramthe doer
ātmānamthe soul
kevalamonly
tubut
yaḥwho
paśhyatisee
akṛita-buddhitvātwith impure intellect
nanot
saḥthey
paśhyatisee
durmatiḥfoolish

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
18.16 तत्र there (the case)? एवम् thus? सति being? कर्तारम् as the agent? आत्मानम् the Self? केवलम् alone? तु verily? यः who? पश्यति sees? अकृतबुद्धित्वात् owing to untrained understanding? न not? सः he? पश्यति sees? दुर्मतिः of perverted intelligence.Commentary The Self is always actionless. He is unattached like ether. He is always the silent witness. He is the spectator of activity. The egoistic man of little understanding only thinks that he is the real agent? and so he is bound by actions. He takes birth again and again to reap the fruits of his actions. For him who considers the body as consciousness? God or the Self? it naturally follows that the Self is the agent or the doer. He who identifies himself with the body? who has taken the body as the pure Self? has cast a net over himself? and he leads a deluded life of utter ignorance. He is bound by the fetters or bonds of Karma. He is ever shut up in the prisonhouse of this body.He who has not united himself with the Buddhi? who has got an impure or untrained understanding? who regards the Self as the actor or the agent is certainly a man of perverted intelligence. He is deluded. He is really a blind man. He sees not though he has eyes. He does not behold the essence of things. He has no idea of the supreme Principle (the Self) Which is Itself actionless? Which ever stands as a silent witness of the activities of all minds and all organs of all beings? Which moves the minds? organs and the lifeforce and the bodies to action? just as the magnet makes the iron pieces move. He does not behold the truth about the Self and action.Durmati Evilminded person A man of perverted intellect or undeveloped reason. He thinks that he alone is the doer or agent. He does not understand anything. He has no knowledge of the,actionless? pure? selfluminous Self.The ignorant man of untrained understanding identifies himself with the five causes and regards the pure actionless Self as the agent or doer of the actions which are really done by these five causes. What is the reason for this Why does he regard them so Because he is not endowed with a pure and subtle intellect his understanding (Buddhi) has not been trained in the practice of Vedanta he is not eipped with the four means of salvation his intellect has not been trained by the teachings of the preceptor or the spiritual teacher in the methods of logical reasoning.He who considers that the pure actionless Self is the agent or the doer is certainly a man of untrained understanding. He has no knowledge of the actionless Self and action. Therefore? he is a man of perverted intelligence. His intellect works or moves in the wrong direction. His intellect moves in the sensual grooves or avenues. It runs like the vicious horse and leads to birth and death. The technie of Buddhi Yoga taught in the Gita enables one effectively to prevent this.He does not perceive or cognise the Truth though he has eyes. Though he sees? he sees the external? gross? illusory? everchanging? perishable objects only. He does not behold the one immortal? unchanging? allblissful essence? which is the basis or substratum of everything. He is like the man with jaundiced eyes? who sees all objects tinged with yellow colur? or like the man suffering from diplopia who beholds many moons? or like the man who thinks that the moon moves when the clouds move? or like the man who? seated in a train? imagines that the trees are moving when it is the train that is really moving. (Cf.V.15XIII.30)