न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा ।इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते ॥
na māṃ karmāṇi limpanti na me karmaphale spṛhā |iti māṃ yo 'bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate ||
- न · na
- not
- माम् · mām
- me
- कर्माणि · karmāṇi
- actions
- लिम्पन्ति · limpanti
- stain, smear
- मे · me
- for me
- कर्मफले · karmaphale
- for the fruit of action
- स्पृहा · spṛhā
- longing, craving
- इति · iti
- thus
- यः · yaḥ
- who
- अभिजानाति · abhijānāti
- truly knows
- कर्मभिः · karmabhiḥ
- by actions
- सः · saḥ
- he
- बध्यते · badhyate
- is bound
“Actions do not stain me, nor have I longing for their fruit. One who truly knows me thus is not bound by actions.”
— Original plain-language translation
The Lord's immunity is transferable in principle: cravinglessness, understood and imitated, unbinds the devotee too. Knowing here means participatory insight, not mere facts. Act as the divine acts — without clutching — and bondage loosens.
— Reader's notes (original)