Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 3 › Verse 27
Bhagavad Gītā 3.27: Who is really doing it?
प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः ।
अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते ॥
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāravimūḍhātmā kartāhamiti manyate
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
Actions are in every case performed by the guṇas of prakṛti; one whose mind is deluded by ahaṅkāra thinks, “I am the doer.” In Sāṅkhya terms the true Self is a witness; body, mind and senses, moved by the guṇas, do the acting. Identifying with that activity is the root of attachment.
For children
Krishna says: “Lots of things help us do anything: our body, our breath, the food we eat. A proud person thinks, ‘I did it all by myself!’”
Kṛṣṇa explains why the wise can act without attachment: nature does the acting (3.27–3.28).
Word by word
प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि — All actions are done
- prakṛti: nature
- kriyamāṇa: being done
गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः — by the qualities of nature, in every way
- guṇa: quality (of nature)
- karman: action
- sarvaśaḥ: in every way
अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा — but a person confused by ego
- ahaṅkāra: ego, the sense of “I”
- vimūḍhātman: one who is confused
कर्ताहमिति मन्यते — thinks, “I am the one doing it”
- kartṛ: doer
- aham: I
- iti: thus
- manyate: thinks
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.