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18.16Krishna
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तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः ।पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः ॥

tatraivaṃ sati kartāram ātmānaṃ kevalaṃ tu yaḥ |paśyaty akṛtabuddhitvān na sa paśyati durmatiḥ ||

तत्र · tatra
in this matter
एवम् · evam
thus
सति · sati
this being so
कर्तारम् · kartāram
as the doer
केवलम् · kevalam
alone, merely
यः · yaḥ
who
पश्यति · paśyati
sees
· na
not
सः · saḥ
he
पश्यति · paśyati
sees (truly)
दुर्मतिः · durmatiḥ
the dull-witted one

This being so, one who sees the self alone as the doer — from unrefined understanding — that dull-witted one does not truly see.

Original plain-language translation

A sharp rebuke of spiritualized egoism: confusing the pure self with the sole agent is ignorance, not insight. True seeing perceives the machinery of nature at work (compare 3.27, 13.29). The verse guards against misusing the five-causes teaching as an excuse — see the next verse for the positive side.

Reader's notes (original)