BHAGAVAD-GITA 5:14

February 23, 2002

BHAGAVAD-GITA 5:14

na kartrtvam na karmani

lokasya srjati prabhuh

na karma-phala-samyogam

svabhavas tu pravartate

WORD FOR WORD

na--never; kartrtvam--proprietorship; na--nor; karmani--activities;

lokasya--of the people; srjati--creates; prabhuh--the master of the

city of the body; na--nor; karma-phala--with the results of

activities; samyogam--connection; svabhavah--the modes of material

nature; tu--but; pravartate--act.

TRANSLATION

The embodied spirit, master of the city of his body, does not create

activities, nor does he induce people to act, nor does he create the

fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material nature.

PURPORT

The living entity, as will be explained in the Seventh Chapter, is one

of the energies or natures of the Supreme Lord but is distinct from

matter, which is another nature--called inferior--of the Lord. Somehow

the superior nature, the living entity, has been in contact with

material nature since time immemorial. The temporary body or material

dwelling place which he obtains is the cause of varieties of

activities and their resultant reactions. Living in such a conditional

atmosphere, one suffers the results of the activities of the body by

identifying himself (in ignorance) with the body. It is ignorance

acquired from time immemorial that is the cause of bodily suffering

and distress. As soon as the living entity becomes aloof from the

activities of the body, he becomes free from the reactions as well. As

long as he is in the city of body, he appears to be the master of it,

but actually he is neither its proprietor nor controller of its

actions and reactions. He is simply in the midst of the material

ocean, struggling for existence. The waves of the ocean are tossing

him, and he has no control over them. His best solution is to get out

of the water by transcendental Krsna consciousness. That alone will

save him from all turmoil.

permission.

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