नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः।
अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः।।5.15।।
5.15 The Omnipresent neither accepts anybodys sin nor even virtue. Knowledge remains covered by ignorance. Thery the creatures become deluded.
5.15 The Lord takes neither the demerit nor even the merit of any; knowledge is enveloped by ignorance, thery beings are deluded.
5.15. The Omnimanifest (Soul) takes [upon Itself] neither sin nor merit [born] of any [action]. But, the perfect knowledge is clouded by Illusion and hence the creatures are deluded.
5.15 न not? आदत्ते takes? कस्यचित् of anyone? पापम् demerit? न not? च and? एव even? सुकृतम् merit? विभुः the Lord? अज्ञानेन by ignorance? आवृतम् enveloped? ज्ञानम् knowledge? तेन by that? मुह्यन्ति are deluded? जन्तवः beings.Commentary Knowledge is enveloped by ignorance. Conseently man is deluded. He thinks? I act. I enjoy. I have done such and such a meritourious act. I will get such and such a fruit. I will enjoy in heaven. I will get a birth in a rich family.Of anyone even of His devotees.Man is bound when he is identifies himself with Nature and its effects -- body? mind? Prana or the lifeforce? and senses. He attains freedom or Moksha when he identifies himself with the immortal? actionless Self that dwells within his heart.When I does not act how can God accept good or evil deeds (Cf.V.29)
5.15 Vibhuh, the Omnipresent; na adatte, neither accetps; kasyacit, anybodys-even a adevotees; papam, sin; na ca eva, nor even; does He accept sukrtam, virtue offered by devotees. Why then are such virtuous acts as worship etc. as also sacrifices, charity, oblation, etc. worship etc. as also sacrifices, charity, oblation, etc. offered by devotees? To this the Lord says: Jnanam, knowledge, discriminating wisdom; remains avrtam, covered; ajnanena, by ignorance. Tena, thery; jantavah, the creatures, the non-discriminating people in the world; muhyanti, become deluded thus-I do; I make others do; I eat; I make others eat.
5.15 Nadatte etc. The sinful acts and the like have been effected not by the Soul; but they have been effected by the Illusion belonging to It, just as a poison is effected in the nectar by a doubt. Therefore-
5.15 Because, It, the Atman is all-pervading, i.e., is not limited to particular area or space included in the bodies of gods, men etc.; It is not the relative or the enemy of any one. For this reason It does not take away or remove the evil or suffering of anyone such as a son who is related and therefore dear to one; nor does It take away, i.e., remove the happiness of anyone whom It deems with aversion. All this is the effect of Vasanas or subtle impressions of Prakrti. How does do these contrary Vasanas originte in the case of one whose intrinsic nature is a described above? In answer it is said that knowledge is enveloped by the darkness of ignorance. The Atmans knowledge is enveloped, i.e., contracted by preceding Karmas which are opposed to knowledge, so that a person may be alified to experience the fruits of his own Karma. It is by this Karma, which contracts knowledge, and can join the Jiva with the bodies of gods etc., that the misconception that the bodies are the selves is produced. Conseently there will originate the Vasanas or the unconscious subtle impressions born of such misapprehension of the self and the inclination to undertake actions corresponding to them. Sri Krsna now brings into proper seence what has been taught before in the following verses: You will completely cross over the sea of all your sins with the boat of knowledge (4.36), and The fire of knowledge reduces all Karmas to ashes in the same way (4.37), and For there is no purifier here eal to knowledge (4.38).
Since the Lord does not make the jiva do either good or bad actions, he does not experience the results in the form on suffering or enjoyment. He does not accept (na adatte) them. However, one of his associates, his sakti called ignorance (ajnanena) covers the inherent knowledge of the jiva. Because of this (tena), the jivas are bewildered (and hence acting and suffering and enjoying their karma).
The sublime, transcendental Supreme Lord although the energiser and controller of all living beings in creation does not partake of the merits of piety or the demerits of sins from any living entity. The reason being He is all pervasive, omniscient, eternal and thus He is always completely fulfilled directing the living entities precisely according to their previous actions by His external potency known as Maya the inscrutable illusory energy. A question may be raised that it is seen that the Supreme Lord is merciful to His devotees and blesses them; but is unmerciful to non-devotees and chastises them which denotes partiality. So how does this exemplify that He is always completely fulfilled. Lord Krishna clarifies this doubt with the word jnanam meaning knowledge. Cognisance is the intrinsic nature of a human being and without it discrimination cannot manifest and the knowledge that the Supreme Lord is equal to all will be enveloped in ignorance. Thus one enveloped in ignorance is unable to discern that chastisement from the Supreme Lord for sinful activities is also His mercy and a blessing as well. Because of misconceptions beings become deluded from time immemorial and attribute partiality to the Supreme Lord.
The Supreme Lord being completely transcendental and independent to the material existence does not accept the pious merits or the sinful demerits of any human being and although He energises all of their activities He is never affected by them. This is because human beings are endowed with freewill and viveka or a sense of discrimination and this unlike the animals gives them a limited independence regarding their own actions and the choice of their activities. But when their sense of discrimination becomes shrouded by ignorance in the absence of Vedic knowledge their awareness becomes obscured and they become deluded and assume responsibility or authorship for their individual actions and thus they assume also the reactions that accompany their actions binding them tightly to samara or the cycle of birth and death. If by chance an awareness arises in their consciousness that they are enveloped and shrouded in the delusion of illusion they do not consider that they have the ability to change anything because they do not realise that it is Supreme Lord who initiates all actions. The resplendent Supreme Lord Krishna is like the sun in the sky illuminates His light on the noble and the vile, the sinful and the pious impartially. And as although sunlight touching the Earth is not affected by events that happen in the world similarly the Supreme Lord is not affected by the events which transpire in the life of human beings or any other being.
The atma or eternal soul never accepts anyones sins or mitigate anyones misery or suffering although the person may be dearly beloved. Nor does the atma take the pious merit and happiness which may come to a person that is hated. The atma is transcendental to material nature and not limited to the physical body. The atma knows not the relationship of the amity of friendliness nor the enmity of antagonism. All conceptions of friend and foe are material designations caused by vasana which is physical instincts created from material association. How then is it that the atma is thus shrouded by this vasana. Lord Krishna reveals that it is because of ignorance. It is ignorance which shrouds and obscures spiritual knowledge. Ignorance and nescience is that which is opposed to spiritual knowledge and wisdom. By the shrouding of ignorance due to reactions from past actions the consciousness of the atma becomes obscured and the intelligence compromised allowing the living entity to enter the perilous predicament of believing they are the enjoyer of the rewards of actions thereby recipients of the reactions. Thus by the karma or the reactions from attachment to actions one forges a material link in the appropriate physical body. This love of ones body forges links with other bodies kindling a ironclad infatuation for the bodily conception. This infatuation maturing becomes vasana which constitutes the seed for further births in the material creation. This perpetuates more and more actions and reactions and infatuations for bodily connections and more seeds and more increased vasana which perpetually keeps an embodied being locked in the material existence engendering unlimited births and rebirths. Next Lord Krishna propounds the topic of spiritual intelligence.
The atma or eternal soul never accepts anyones sins or mitigate anyones misery or suffering although the person may be dearly beloved. Nor does the atma take the pious merit and happiness which may come to a person that is hated. The atma is transcendental to material nature and not limited to the physical body. The atma knows not the relationship of the amity of friendliness nor the enmity of antagonism. All conceptions of friend and foe are material designations caused by vasana which is physical instincts created from material association. How then is it that the atma is thus shrouded by this vasana. Lord Krishna reveals that it is because of ignorance. It is ignorance which shrouds and obscures spiritual knowledge. Ignorance and nescience is that which is opposed to spiritual knowledge and wisdom. By the shrouding of ignorance due to reactions from past actions the consciousness of the atma becomes obscured and the intelligence compromised allowing the living entity to enter the perilous predicament of believing they are the enjoyer of the rewards of actions thereby recipients of the reactions. Thus by the karma or the reactions from attachment to actions one forges a material link in the appropriate physical body. This love of ones body forges links with other bodies kindling a ironclad infatuation for the bodily conception. This infatuation maturing becomes vasana which constitutes the seed for further births in the material creation. This perpetuates more and more actions and reactions and infatuations for bodily connections and more seeds and more increased vasana which perpetually keeps an embodied being locked in the material existence engendering unlimited births and rebirths. Next Lord Krishna propounds the topic of spiritual intelligence.
Naadatte kasyachit paapam na chaiva sukritam vibhuh; Ajnaanenaavritam jnaanam tena muhyanti jantavah.
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
