अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्ययः | शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते ||१३-३२||
anāditvānnirguṇatvātparamātmāyamavyayaḥ .
śarīrastho.api kaunteya na karoti na lipyate ||13-32||
Being without beginning and being devoid of (any) qualities, the Supreme Self, imperishable, though dwelling in the body, O Arjuna, neither acts nor is tainted.
In simple words
Krishna explains why the soul is untouched: "The supreme self has no beginning and no qualities. Even though it lives in the body, Arjuna, it neither acts nor is affected by anything. It remains completely pure."
Word-by-word meanings
अनादित्वात्being without beginningनिर्गुणत्वात्being devoid of alitiesपरमात्माthe Supreme Selfअयम्thisअव्ययःimperishableशरीरस्थःdwelling in this bodyअपिthoughकौन्तेयO son of Kunti (Arjuna)नnot करोति actsनnotलिप्यतेis tainted
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
Swami Sivananda
13.32 अनादित्वात् being without beginning? निर्गुणत्वात् being devoid of alities? परमात्मा the Supreme Self? अयम् this? अव्ययः imperishable? शरीरस्थः dwelling in this body? अपि though? कौन्तेय O son of Kunti (Arjuna)? न not करोति acts? न not? लिप्यते is tainted.Commentary The Supreme Self is beyond Nature. Therefore It is without alities. It is Nirguna. The activity in Nature is really due to its own alities which inhere in it. The Supreme Self existed before the body came into being and will continue to be after its dissolution. It is eternally the same and imperishable.Avyaya That which is free from the changes of birth and death or appearance and destruction. That which has a beginning has birth. After the object is born it is subject to the changes of being (growth? decay? etc.). As the Self is birthless? It is free from the changes of state (existence? birth? growth? change? decay and death). As the Self is free from all sorts of functions? It is Avyaya. Even if the reflection of the sun in the water moves? the sun does not move a bit. Even so the Supreme Self is not touched by the fruits of action as It is not the doer? as It is without the alities of Nature? or limbs? indivisible? devoid of parts? without action? beginningless and unattached and causeless.This Supreme Self is free from the three kinds of differences? viz.? Sajatiyabheda? Vijatiyabheda and Svagatabheda. A mango tree is different from a fig tree. This is Sajatiyabheda. A mango tree is different from a stone. This is Vijatiyabheda. In the same mango tree there is difference between leaves? flowers and fruits. This is Svagatabheda. But the Supreme Self is one without a second. There is no other Brahman Which is eal to It. Therefore? there cannot be Sajatiyabheda in Brahman. This world is a mere appearance. It is a mere figment of our imagination. It is superimposed on the Absolute on account of ignorance. An imaginary object has no independent existence apart from its substratum? just as the snake in the rope has no independent existence apart from its substratum? the rope. Therefore? there cannot be Vijatiyabheda in Brahman. Brahman is indivisible? partless? without alities? without form and without any limbs. Therefore there cannot be Svagatabheda in Brahman.Brahman or the Supreme Self is beginningless. It is without a cause. It is selfexistent. It is without parts. It is without alities. Therefore Brahman is imperishable. As It is unattached? It is neither the doer nor the enjoyer. If Brahman also is the doer and enjoyer. It is no longer Brahman. It is in no way better than ourselves. This cannot be. Agency and enjoyment are attributed to the ego on account of ignorance. It is Nature that acts. (Cf.V.14XV.9)
Swami Chinmayananda
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
Although the conscious Self, by its mere presence, causes the body, senses, and other limiting adjuncts to engage in their respective activities, yet the Self always remains the non-doer. The scriptures' teaching of this principle appears difficult to the beginning students of Vedanta. Therefore, the sages of the Upanishads have made special effort to help us understand how the one, unique, all-pervading Supreme Self is the non-doer. It has already been said in the Gita that the Self, by identifying itself with the field, becomes the individual knower of the field, who is the doer of actions and the enjoyer of their fruits. To establish the Self's freedom from fault even while dwelling in bodies, certain reasons are presented here. When a judge, by sitting in the judicial seat and pronouncing judgment, sentences a murderer to death, the sin of that death cannot affect the judge. The judge acts in his official capacity, not in his personal capacity. That which has no beginning cannot have a cause, for if there were a cause, there would be a beginning. The cause-less cause is the Supreme Truth from which the entire universe has originated. Therefore, the Supreme Self is called beginningless because it is the cause-less cause. For this reason, it is also immutable and indestructible. Only that which possesses qualities undergoes transformation. We have seen that the Supreme Self, being the cause of the universe, is unchanging; therefore, it must necessarily be without qualities. The Supreme Self is immutable—being the cause of the universe, beginningless, and without qualities, the immutability of the Supreme Self is established. This Supreme Self, by its mere presence, enables insentient adjuncts to function as if conscious, yet it itself performs no action whatsoever. The principle stated above is one of the subtle doctrines of Vedanta, and students of weak intellect generally find it difficult to understand. Although this is considered the difficult part of Vedantic literature, yet through careful reflection, doubts and difficulties can be removed. To demonstrate the Self's non-agency and attributelessness even in all forbidden and demoniac actions of the adjuncts, the Lord presents certain illustrations.