Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya 175

Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya

Chapter-5 Karma Sanyāsa Yogaḥ

Sri Krishna now teaches the natural condition of the Self as it really is: na kartṛtvaṃ na karmāṇi lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ | na karma phala saṃyogaṃ svabhāvastu pravartate || 14 || 14. The master [of the body—the ātman] does not initiate agency, nor actions, nor union with the fruits of actions in relation to the world (of embodied beings); it is the inherent tendencies alone that function. Commentary The “master” (Prabhu — that is, the Jīva who is the master of the body), in its own essential nature is not subject to Karma and therefore does not initiate (a) the agency that is characteristic of sentient beings or (b) their various and particular activities and (c) is not responsible for the results of those actions (Karma) which bring about its embodiment as a sentient being. What then is responsible for agency and its results? It is the natural tendencies alone that act. Tendencies (svabhāva) are comprised of subliminal activators (saṃskāras) originating from engagement with Prakrti. In other words agency and its results do not originate from the natural or pure state of the Self, but are generated by subtle subliminal activators created by the error of identifying the body as the Self.