Bhagavad Gita 3.27 · Krishna
Who is really doing it
प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः।
अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते॥
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥahaṅkāravimūḍhātmā kartāhamiti manyate
All actions are done by the forces of nature. Only one confused by ego thinks, I am the doer.
Words
- prakṛti
- guṇa
What it means
Krishna makes a deep point. Actions are carried out by prakriti, nature, through its gunas, its three forces of heaviness, restlessness and clarity. The ego claims the credit and the blame. I did this. But much of what we do flows from nature, conditioning and circumstance.
The story
Arjuna sees himself as the one who will kill his family. Krishna loosens that heavy I. Arjuna is part of a vast play of forces. That doesn't remove responsibility. It removes the crushing weight of thinking he controls everything.
In your life
Imagine someone who snaps at their partner, then realises they skipped lunch and slept badly. Their nature was talking. Before blaming yourself or others, check, am I tired, hungry, stressed? Then choose.
Less ego, more understanding.