Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5, Verse 15

Chapter 5 – Karma Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः ।
अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः ॥

Transliteration

nādatte kasyacitpāpaṃ na caiva sukṛtaṃ vibhuḥ .
ajñānenāvṛtaṃ jñānaṃ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ ॥

Meaning

The all-pervading Lord does not take on anyone's sin or merit; knowledge is veiled by ignorance, and so beings are deluded.

Word meanings

विभुः – the all-pervading Lord
न आदत्ते – does not accept, take on
कस्यचित् – of anyone
पापम् – sin
न च एव – nor
सुकृतम् – merit, good deed
अज्ञानेन – by ignorance
आवृतम् – is veiled
ज्ञानम् – knowledge
तेन – by that
मुह्यन्ति – are deluded
जन्तवः – beings

Anvaya (word order)

विभुः कस्यचित् पापं न आदत्ते, सुकृतं च एव न; ज्ञानम् अज्ञानेन आवृतम्; तेन जन्तवः मुह्यन्ति ।

Explanation

The point of the previous verse is carried forward. The Supreme is ‘vibhu’, all-pervading and perfect. He does not take any being's sin or merit upon Himself. This shows God's impartiality and untouched nature. A being reaps the fruit of his actions according to his own impressions and the law of karma; God neither punishes anyone out of favouritism nor rewards without cause.

Then the question arises: if so, why is the being so confused? The answer: ‘ajnanenavritam jnanam’ — knowledge is covered by ignorance. As clouds cover the sun without destroying it, ignorance veils Self-knowledge. Because of this veil, beings are deluded and take themselves to be doers, enjoyers, happy or sad.

According to Shankara, the Self is all-pervading and free of sin and merit; the connection with them is due to the appearance of doership produced by ignorance. Ramanuja stresses here God's justice and the being's responsibility for his own deeds.

Hence the destruction of ignorance is the solution, and that is the subject of the next verse. The confusion is not outside but in the veiling of inner knowledge, and when the veil is removed the light shines by itself.

Context

After laying down the principle of svabhava in 5.14, verse 5.15 gives the Lord's impartiality and the cause of beings' delusion. Verse 5.16 gives the remedy for this ignorance — knowledge.

Life lesson

Before blaming God or others for your joys and sorrows, see by what ignorance your understanding is veiled. Moving toward knowledge is the road to freedom from confusion.

Key terms

Vibhu: the all-pervading Supreme
Sukrita: good deed, merit
Ajnana: ignorance, the veil over the Self's nature