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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 5.15
नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभु: ।
अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तव: ॥ १५ ॥
nādatte kasyacit pāpaṁ
na caiva sukṛtaṁ vibhuḥ
ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ
tena muhyanti jantavaḥ
Nor does the Supreme Lord assume anyone’s sinful or pious activities. Embodied beings, however, are bewildered because of the ignorance which covers their real knowledge.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
The Supreme Lord does not take on anyone’s sinful or pious acts. Embodied souls are bewildered because ignorance covers their real knowledge.
Prabhupāda explains that the Lord allows souls to fulfill their desires but is not responsible for their actions or the results.
Desire to attain Kṛṣṇa. The Lord takes special care of those who desire Him and guides them toward eternal happiness.
One in Knowledge sees material nature as being under Lord’s control and thus the Lord as the ultimate performer and the cause of all actions
But this theme raises a question that “Doesn’t that make Him responsible for all good and bad things done in this world?”
Text 5.15 answers this: “He simply sanctions, the soul initiates by desire and therefore living entity is responsible for all good and bad reactions
Supreme Lord is vibhu (omniscient) — This means He is full of all six opulences
He is always satisfied in Himself, undisturbed by sinful or pious activities
He does not create a particular situation for any living entity
Living entity is anu (atomic) –
Prone to ignorance – He is prone to ignorance because of limited power, although he is full of knowledge and bliss
Free will to desire – As a part of the Supreme Lord he has the capacity to desire by his free will
Desire is a subtle form of conditioning for the living entity
Misuse of desire – Under ignorance living entity desires to be put into a certain condition of life
Therefore his chain of actions and reactions begin
Under ignorance the living entity claims that the Lord is responsible for his conditional existence
Supreme Lord as the witness and permitter — The desires of the living entities are fulfilled only by the omnipotent Lord
Analogy of flower: Lord is the constant companion as Supersoul and He can understand the desires of the individual soul, as one can smell the fragrance of a flower by being near to it
Does Lord fulfill all desires – He fulfills the desires as one deserves; Man proposes, God disposes FOCUS OF LEARNING: PURPORT 5.15 continued…
The Lord is neutral to everyone — He does not interfere with the desires of the minute, independent living entities
When the living entity is bewildered the Lord allows him to fulfill those desires, but the Lord is never responsible for the particular situation created
When the living entity desires Krishna, the Lord takes special care and encourages one to desire in such a way that one can attain to Him and be eternally happy
References for Lord’s neutrality (study purport)
Ref. Vedic hymns / Kausitaki Upanisad
Ref. Vedanta Sutra 2.1.34 “vaisamya-nairghrnya…” SUMMARIZED THEME 5C COMPARING THE SOUL AND SUPERSOUL (5.13 – 5.16) S.NO SOUL SUPERSOUL 1 Eternal Eternal 2 Blissful, but suffers when covered by maya Blissful, above the modes 3 Cognisant of his body Cognisant of all bodies 4 Anu, atomic Vibhu, omniscient 5 Has minute independence to desire but is Complete independence dependent upon Supersoul to fulfil desires SUMMARIZED THEME 5D CONCLUSION: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SOUL, SUPERSOUL AND THE MATERIAL MODES OF NATURE
Soul desires — Lord does not interfere
Lord as supersoul sanctions — Those desires that the soul deserves, Lord is the director of the choreography who causes activities to be done through material nature
Modes of material nature carry out actions to fulfil those desires, body and actions are choreographed by the modes
Establishes living entity is not the only doer
Who is responsible
Supersoul not to be held responsible for all actions, because all initiated by desires of the living entity (5.13)
Living entity is responsible for his own good and bad actions and is thus responsible for the consequensces
Supersoul is the ultimate controller of the activities, but not the initiator and modes of nature are the agents of the Lord
Benefits of understanding the position of the Supreme (5.16) — It leads to “A state of perfect knowledge”
When one surrenders unto the Lord (7.19)
Happiness and Real Peace
The living being (Doer No. 1) who knows that all bodily activities are automatically carried out by the modes of material nature (Doer No. 2), after those activities are sanctioned by the Supersoul (Doer No. 3), attains enlightenment thorough that knowledge
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Key ideas: ātmā, jñāna.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 5.15 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to soul & knowledge?
Spend five minutes reflecting on what in you does not change.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.