For Eternal Beginners
यस्य नाहंकृतो भावो बुद्धिः यस्य न लिप्यते ।
हत्वाऽपि स इमान् लोकान् न हन्ति न निबध्यते ॥ १७ ॥
yasya nAhaMkRto bhAvo buddhiH yasya na lipyate |
hatvA'pi sa imAn lokAn na hanti na nibadhyate || 17 ||
यस्य [yasya] The person whose भावः [bhAvaH] belief नाहंकृतो [nAhaMkRto] is that he’s not the one who makes things happen, यस्य [yasya] the one whose बुद्धिः [buddhiH] intellect न लिप्यते [na lipyate] stays free of the burden of attachments न निबध्यते [na nibadhyate] and doesn’t get trapped - सः हत्वापि [saH hatvApi] Even when he kills इमान् लोकान् [imAn lokAn] all these people, न हन्ति [na hanti] he doesn’t kill.
Any performance has The Lord as its basis. With such conviction, this person has resolved - ‘I am not the one who makes it happen’. He is distinguished by this resolution, not giving himself any self-importance - he doesn’t have the belief that he makes things happen.
His intellect stays free - his conviction is: ‘In these actions, I don’t make things happen, that’s how these outcomes don’t relate to me’. The idea that says ‘This work is mine’ is not born in his thoughts.
Even when he kills all these people in war - including Bhishma and Drona - he doesn’t kill them. The action called war doesn’t stick to him. Meaning, he doesn’t suffer its consequences.
Only a predominance of sattva brings the conviction that you don’t make things happen. It keeps you away from possessiveness towards the action and its outcome.
Next, to remind us about the admirable nature of the quality of sattva , The Lord describes the differences in various actions brought about by the three qualities , starting with the way in which actions are instigated.