Karma Sanyasa Yoga · Verse 8

Bhagavad Gita 5.8

Seeing life happen is not the same as claiming it.

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

नैव किंचित्करोमीति युक्तो मन्येत तत्त्ववित् ।
पश्यन् श्रृणवन्स्पृशञ्जिघ्रन्नश्नन्गच्छन्स्वपन् श्वसन् ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
तत्त्वको जाननेवाला सांख्ययोगी देखता, सुनता, छूता, सूँघता, खाता, चलता, ग्रहण करता, बोलता, मलमूत्र का त्याग करता, सोता, श्वास लेता तथा आँखें खोलता और मूँदता भी सम्पूर्ण इन्द्रियाँ इन्द्रियोंके विषयोंमें बरत रही हैं ऐसा समझकर मैं स्वयं कुछ भी नहीं करता हूँ ऐसा माने ॥
English
The knower of reality should think, "I do nothing at all," while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, taking, speaking, discarding, sleeping, breathing, and opening and closing the eyes.

What this verse means

A person who knows reality sees the senses doing all the work and no longer claims personal doership.

Context & commentary

On the battlefield, Arjuna is frozen between action and collapse. Krishna is explaining the inner vision of the wise: even while the body sees, hears, eats, moves, and breathes, the true knower does not mistake these movements for personal doership.

Why this verse still matters

You replay every word after a tense conversation and think, "I ruined it." This verse interrupts that habit: actions happen through the senses, but the self does not need to clutch them as "mine."

The takeaway

There is relief in stepping out of the pressure to own every action.

Word-by-word translation

नैव (not at all) / किंचित् (anything) / करोमि (I do) / इति (thus) / युक्तः (the disciplined one) / मन्येत (should think) / तत्त्ववित् (the knower of reality) / पश्यन् (seeing) / श्रृणवन् (hearing) / स्पृशन् (touching) / जिघ्रन् (smelling) / अश्नन् (eating) / गच्छन् (walking) / स्वपन् (sleeping) / श्वसन् (breathing)

Explore related themes: sankhya (11 verses), karma sannyasa (11 verses)

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