For Eternal Beginners
प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः ।
अहङ्कार विमूढात्मा कर्ताहम् इति मन्यते ॥ २७ ॥
तत्त्व वित्तु महाबाहो गुणकर्म विभागयोः ।
गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्ते इति मत्वा न सज्जते ॥ २८ ॥
prakRteH kriyamANAni guNaiH karmANi sarvazaH |
ahaGkAra vimUDhAtmA kartAham iti manyate || 27 ||
tattva vittu mahAbAho guNakarma vibhAgayoH |
guNA guNeSu vartante iti matvA na sajjate || 28 ||
अहङ्कार विमूढात्मा [ahaGkAra vimUDhAtmA] A person who, due to ignorance, thinks of his body as himself, इति मन्यते [iti manyate] keeps telling himself - कर्ता अहम् [kartA aham] I am the doer कर्माणि सर्वशः [karmANi sarvazaH] of all actions - प्रकृतेः गुणैः क्रियमाणानि [prakRteH guNaiH kriyamANAni] while these actions are actually an effect of the
qualities of nature
.
हे महाबाहो [he mahAbAho] Arjuna, तत्त्व वित्तु [tattva vittu] the person who knows the factual गुणकर्म विभागयोः [guNakarma vibhAgayoH] distinctions among
qualities
and actions न सज्जते [na sajjate] is not attached to them, इति मत्वा [iti matvA] since he believes that गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्ते [guNA guNeSu vartante] the
qualities of nature
will anyway make the corresponding actions happen.
Without knowing the Self, we believe that we are our body.
A person who is confused about the Self keeps telling himself ‘I do my actions’, whenever the three qualities of nature make these actions happen . Such confusion comes to a person when he thinks of himself as his body, instead of recognizing the Self inside. Without knowing the Self, he believes that he’s the one who makes things happen in the environment.