Bhagavad Gita 18.16 meaningLetting go — and standing up
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“Thinking ‘I alone did it’ is a mistake.”
What it means
“So anyone who thinks the pure self alone is the doer doesn't understand. Their judgement is clouded.”
The original Sanskrit
तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः । पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः ॥
tatraivaṃ sati kartāramātmānaṃ kevalaṃ tu yaḥ paśyatyakṛtabuddhitvānna sa paśyati durmatiḥ
Translations
Literal translation
This being the case, anyone, who, owing to the imperfection of his intellect, perceives the absolute Self as the agent, that man does not perceive (properly), and has a perverted intellect.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
अब इस स्थिति में जो पुरुष असंस्कृत बुद्धि होने के कारण, केवल शुद्ध आत्मा को कर्ता समझता हैं, वह दुर ्मति पुरुष (यथार्थ) नहीं देखता है।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 18.17“Someone free from ego, whose understanding is unclouded, isn't really the killer even if they take life — and they aren't bound by it.”