प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः ।
अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताऽहमिति मन्यते ॥
अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताऽहमिति मन्यते ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
सम्पूर्ण कर्म सब प्रकारसे प्रकृतिके गुणोंद्वारा किये जाते हैं परन्तु अहंकारसे मोहित अन्तःकरणवाला अज्ञानी मनुष्य मैं कर्ता हूँ ऐसा मानता है ॥
English
All actions are carried out in every way by the qualities of nature. Deluded by ego, a person thinks, 'I am the doer.'
What this verse means
Actions happen through the forces of nature, not through the false sense of 'I am the doer.' Ego creates the illusion of authorship.
Context & commentary
On the Kurukshetra field, Krishna is dismantling Arjuna's panic about action itself. After urging him to act, he now explains why the ego's ownership of action is false: nature's forces move everything, while confusion makes the person say, 'I am doing this.'
Why this verse still matters
You replay a painful conversation in your head and keep editing your part in it. Krishna cuts through that loop: the event unfolded through many causes, not one heroic or guilty self.
The takeaway
You can loosen the grip of self-importance and let action become cleaner, lighter, and truer.
Word-by-word translation
प्रकृतेः (of nature) / क्रियमाणानि (being done) / गुणैः (by the qualities) / कर्माणि (actions) / सर्वशः (in every way) / अहङ्कार-विमूढ-आत्मा (the inner being deluded by ego) / कर्ता (doer) / अहम् (I) / इति (thus) / मन्यते (thinks)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3: Karma Yoga — The Yoga of Action, which contains 43 verses.
Explore related themes: karma yoga (55 verses), gunas (47 verses), prakriti (31 verses)