Path of Renunciation
Verse 5.15
नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः। अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः।।5.15।।
nādatte kasyachit pāpaṁ na chaiva sukṛitaṁ vibhuḥ ajñānenāvṛitaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ
Word Meanings
na—not; ādatte—accepts; kasyachit—anyone’s; pāpam—sin; na—not; cha—and; eva—certainly; su-kṛitam—virtuous deeds; vibhuḥ—the omnipresent God; ajñānena—by ignorance; āvṛitam—covered; jñānam—knowledge; tena—by that; muhyanti—are deluded; jantavaḥ—the living entities
Translation · English
The Lord takes neither the demerit nor the merit of any; knowledge is enveloped by ignorance, and beings are deluded.
Deep Meaning · English
In this profound verse, Krishna clarifies the nature of the Supreme Reality, the Vibhu, who remains forever untouched by the dualities of human experience. While the individual soul, blinded by the veil of ignorance (ajnana), identifies itself with the doer and the enjoyer, the Lord remains the silent witness. God does not 'accept' or accrue the fruits of our actions, whether they be meritorious (sukrita) or sinful (papa). This is a radical shift in perspective for the seeker: it teaches that the Supreme is not a judge keeping a tally of deeds, but the non-dual consciousness that underlies all existence, unaffected by the ripples of the karmic ocean. When we realize our own nature as this infinite, unattached consciousness, we transcend the cycles of delusion that cause the jiva to feel burdened by the weight of its own actions. The tragedy of the embodied soul, as Krishna explains, is not inherent imperfection, but rather a temporary obscuration of its own divine wisdom. We are like the sun hidden behind a thick blanket of clouds; the sun has not lost its brilliance, but we have lost sight of it. By shedding the layers of ignorance through the path of knowledge and selfless service, the seeker discovers that they are, and have always been, the unblemished self that neither acts nor suffers.
The Divine remains the eternal, untouched witness, while our perception of suffering or virtue is merely a dream born of ignorance masking our true, radiant nature.
Connected Verses
Describes the Supreme as beginningless and without attributes, emphasizing that it does not act even while dwelling in the body.
Krishna declares he is equal to all beings, neither hating nor favoring any, reinforcing the idea of divine impartiality.
The immediate continuation of this thought, explaining that when ignorance is destroyed by knowledge, the Self shines like the sun.
Explains the indestructibility of the Self, confirming it neither kills nor is killed, echoing the theme of non-doership.
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