5.13 sarvakarmANi manasA

SrI:  SrImathE SatakOpAya nama:  SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:  SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

Chapter 5

<< Chapter 5 verse 12

SlOkam – Original

sarvakarmANi manasA sanyasyAsthE sukham vaSI |
navadhvArE purE dhEhI naiva kurvan na kArayan ||

word-by-word meaning

dhEhI – embodied
vaSI – AthmA who is (naturally) under his own control
nava dhvArE – in the nine-gated town of the body
sarva karmANi – all actions
manasA – mentally
sanyasya – completely giving up
naiva kurvan – neither doing himself
na kArayan – nor doing through the body
sukham AsthE – lives happily

Simple Translation

AthmA who is (naturally) under his own control, [but] embodied in the nine-gated town of the body, mentally giving up all actions completely, by neither doing himself nor doing through the body, lives happily.

Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam

‘Neither doing aught, nor causing any act, the embodied mentally consigns all acts to the nine-gated city (body), and sits therein the happy victor.’

Distinguishing in the mind that all authorship of work rests in the body, —with which ātma is conjoined as a result of past deeds—, and that, therefore, authorship does not proceed as an essential attribute of ātma, the embodied ātma shall assign all acts to the nine-gated city (body). Himself, independent (vaśi or victor), remains happy, not doing aught as a consequence of his residing in the body, nor causing the body to act.

What is really the true nature of (this independent) ātma? It is stated:—

>> Chapter 5 verse 14

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