न कर्तृत्वं न कर्माणि लोकस्य सृजति प्रभुः ।न कर्मफलसंयोगं स्वभावस्तु प्रवर्तते ॥
na kartṛtvaṃ na karmāṇi lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ |na karmaphalasaṃyogaṃ svabhāvas tu pravartate ||
- कर्तृत्वम् · kartṛtvam
- doership, agency
- कर्माणि · karmāṇi
- actions
- लोकस्य · lokasya
- of the world, of people
- सृजति · sṛjati
- creates
- प्रभुः · prabhuḥ
- the Lord
- कर्मफलसंयोगम् · karmaphalasaṃyogam
- connection with fruits of action
- स्वभावः · svabhāvaḥ
- nature
- प्रवर्तते · pravartate
- proceeds, operates
“The Lord creates neither doership nor actions for people, nor connection with their fruits. It is nature that carries on.”
— Original plain-language translation
Divine non-authorship protects both God's transcendence and human responsibility. Drives and deeds arise from material nature and past impressions. Blaming or crediting God for one's acts is a confusion this verse removes.
— Reader's notes (original)