Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 13 - Shloka (Verse) 33

व्याख्या -- [पूर्वश्लोकमें भगवान्ने न करोति पदोंसे पहले कर्तृत्वका और फिर न लिप्यते पदोंसे भोक्तृत्वका अभाव बताया है। परन्तु उन दोनोंका विवेचन करते हुए इस श्लोकमें पहले भोक्तृत्वके अभावकी बात बतायी है और आगेके श्लोकमें कर्तृत्वके अभावकी बात बतायेंगे। अतः यहाँ ऐसा व्यतिक्रम रखनेमें भगवान्का क्या भाव है इसका उत्तर यह है कि यद्यपि कर्तृत्वके बाद ही भोक्तृत्व होता है अर्थात् कर्म करनेके बाद ही उस कर्मके फलका भोग होता है? तथापि मनुष्य जो कुछ भी करता है? पहले किसी फल(सिद्धि) का उद्देश्य मनमें रखकर ही करता है। अतः मनमें पहले भोक्तृत्व आता है? फिर उसके अनुसार काम करता है अर्थात् फिर कर्तृत्व आता है। इस दृष्टिसे भगवान् यहाँ सबसे पहले भोक्तृत्वका निषेध करते हैं। भोक्तृत्व(लिप्तता) का त्याग होनेपर कर्तृत्वका त्याग स्वतः हो जाता है अर्थात् फलेच्छाका त्याग,होनेपर क्रिया करनेपर भी कर्तृत्व नहीं होता।]यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्यादाकाशं नोपलिप्यते -- आकाशका कार्य वायु? तेज? जल और पृथ्वी है। अतः आकाश अपने कार्य वायु आदि चारों भूतोंमें व्यापक है? पर ये चारों आकाशमें व्यापक नहीं हैं? प्रत्युत व्याप्य हैं। ये चारों आकाशके अन्तर्गत हैं? पर आकाश इन चारोंके अन्तर्गत नहीं है। इसका कारण यह है कि आकाशकी अपेक्षा ये चारों स्थूल हैं और आकाश इनकी अपेक्षा सूक्ष्म है। ये चारों सीमित हैं? सान्त हैं और आकाश असीम है? अनन्त है। इन चारों भूतोंमें विकार होते हैं? पर आकाशमें विकार नहीं होता।सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथात्मा नोपलिप्यते -- जैसे आकाश वायु आदि चारों भूतोंमें रहता हुआ भी उनमें लिप्त नहीं होता? ऐसे ही सब जगह? सब शरीरोंमें रहनेवाला आत्मा किसी भी शरीरमें लिप्त नहीं होता। आत्मा सबमें परिपूर्ण रहता हुआ भी किसीमें घुलतामिलता नहीं। वह सदासर्वदा सर्वथा निर्लिप्त रहता है क्योंकि आत्मा स्वयं नित्य? सर्वगत? स्थाणु? अचल? सनातन? अव्यक्त? अचिन्त्य और अविकारी है (गीता 2। 24 25) तथा इस अविनाशी आत्मासे यह सम्पूर्ण संसार व्याप्त है (गीता 2। 17)। सम्बन्ध -- पूर्वश्लोकमें भगवान्ने आत्मामें भोक्तृत्वका अभाव बताया? अब आगेके श्लोकमें आत्मामें कर्तृत्वका अभाव बताते हैं।

परमात्मा किसीकी भाँति न करता है और न लिप्त होता है इसपर यहाँ दृष्टान्त कहते हैं --, जैसे आकाश? सर्वत्र व्याप्त हुआ भी सूक्ष्म होनेके कारण लिप्त नहीं होता -- सम्बन्धयुक्त नहीं होता? वैसे ही आत्मा भी शरीरमें सर्वत्र स्थित रहता हुआ भी ( उसके गुणदोषोंसे ) लिप्त नहीं होता।

Regarding 'He does not act nor is tainted', He states the reason -- 'Moreover' -- that being the seer (Drashta), he is devoid of the property of the seen (Drishya).

He shows the intended meaning with an example -- 'Sun'.

He clarifies that very meaning in both ways -- 'Like the Sun'.

He states an example for what was said: 'Because of absence of agency, he is not tainted' -- 'Just as'.

Just as the ether (Akasha), though gone/situated everywhere in the body etc., is not tainted (does not connect) by agency etc. belonging to the body etc., because of subtlety and unattached nature;

similarly, the Self situated everywhere in everything, is not tainted by the properties of the body in the body, this is the meaning.

"Because of attributelessness, he does not act" is established.

"Because of unattached nature, he is not tainted," He says -- 'Just as'.

Just as the sky is not tainted by smoke etc., because of subtlety and unattached nature. Similarly, the Self is not tainted by merit and demerit etc., this is the meaning.

Just as the sky, though all-pervading and connected with all objects, is not tainted by the natures of all objects because of subtlety,

similarly the Self, situated everywhere in bodies of gods, humans, etc., is not tainted by the natures of those respective bodies because of extreme subtlety.

He states an example there -- 'Just as'. Just as the sky, though situated everywhere even in mud etc., is not tainted by mud etc., because of subtlety and unattached nature; similarly, the Self situated everywhere in a superior, middling, or inferior body is not tainted.

Meaning, it is not connected with the qualities and defects of the body.

The non-doership stated as 'He does not act' is of a nature purified (established) in both preceding and succeeding contexts. The doubt arising from the logic of wood etc. cast into the salt lake regarding the goal-part 'though situated in the body, is not tainted' [13.32] is removed by the subsequent verse -- he says 'Although'.

'Defects and qualities arise from contact, dry is burnt by wet due to friendship (contact)' -- this is well known, this is the sense. 'Attaining whom, even very pure garments and ornaments immediately attain impurity; what then is other impure thing?' -- by this logic, even by momentary contact with the body, clothes etc. are corrupted; what then of one eternally connected? -- with this intention he says 'Eternally connected'.

That the imposition of the nature of one object of contact on the other object of contact is non-uniform (not always certain) -- to justify the deviation (Vyabhichara), the restatement 'Just as all-pervading' is made; and to indicate this, the word 'api' (also) is used in both places. The restatement of all-pervasiveness is for raising the doubt 'though situated in the body'.

By the word 'all-pervading', the contingency of taint by infinite natures that are mutually contradictory is intended. Just as the sky is subtler than other elements, similarly, to make known that this (Self) is subtler than even the sky, 'Due to extreme subtlety' is said. By 'similarly', the reason is also implied.

Some substances are seen to be untainted by the nature of some contact, but tainted by the nature of other contacts; e.g., cotton is not tainted by the impurity of collyrium etc., but is seen to be red by the impurity of lac-dye; similarly here too (contamination) is possible -- to remove this doubt, the word 'all' is used in the example and the object of the example.

यहाँ प्रकृति और पुरुष के सम्बन्ध को दर्शाने के लिए आकाश का दृष्टान्त दिया गया है। अवकाशात् आकाश? अर्थात् जो वस्तुओं को रहने के लिए स्थान प्रदान करे वह आकाश है। पंचमहाभूतों में यह सूक्ष्मतम है? और इस कारण से सर्वगत है। सूक्ष्म आकाश उसमें स्थित सभी स्थूल वस्तुओं को व्याप्त किये हुए है? किन्तु उनमें से कोई भी वस्तु उसे मर्यादित या अपने दोष से लिप्त नहीं कर सकती।परमात्मा आकाश का भी कारण होने से उससे भी सूक्ष्मतर और उसे व्याप्त किये हुए है। वह सबको व्याप्ता है? परन्तु उसे कोई व्याप नहीं सकता। अत वह परमात्मा देह में स्थित होकर भी उससे लिप्त नहीं होता।स्वप्नावस्था के हत्यारे के हाथ जागृत पुरुष को रक्तरञ्जित नहीं कर सकते। प्रेत के रक्तरञ्जित वस्त्र स्तम्भ पर अपने चिन्ह नहीं छोड़ सकते। मृगमारीचिका से रेत गीली नहीं हो जाती। ये सब उदाहरण भ्रम और अध्यास के हैं। यह जगत् परम सत्य के अज्ञान से प्रक्षेपित होने के कारण किसी भी प्रकार से परमात्मा को दूषित नहीं कर सकता।तब? इस आत्मा का देह में क्या कार्य है सुनो

Or else -- 'When' (Yada) etc. up to 'is not tainted'.

When, by extensiveness and all-pervasiveness, he sees the separateness, difference (or variety) of beings in the Self alone; and thinks of it as arisen from the Self alone;

even then, due to being the doer of all, He does not partake of taint; because this Supreme Self alone, though situated in the body, is not tainted like the sky.

Regarding 'Though situated in the body, he is not tainted by its action because he is unattached by nature,' He states an example -- 'Just as'.

The meaning of the example is: just as the sky, though all-pervading, is not tainted by mud etc. because of subtlety and unattached nature.

The rest is clear.

For this purpose, He states an example -- 'Just as'.

Just as the all-pervading sky, situated everywhere within the inert and sentient, is not tainted along with that (body/senses) because of subtlety and absence of form (Svarupa-abhava) and is unattached;

similarly, the Self situated in bodies which are high and low everywhere is not tainted.

'Just as' the sky (Akasha), though all-pervading and existent, is not tainted, is not connected, because of subtlety, because of its subtle nature;

similarly, the Self situated everywhere in the body is not tainted.

Moreover --

Although He does not act because of attributelessness, how is He not tainted by the eternally connected natures of the body? To this He answers with an example --

'Just as the all-pervading'. Like the sky, all-pervading in all substrata, the Self, the Jiva, also is not tainted because of subtlety, due to atomicity, this is the reason.

But the all-pervasiveness in all substrata is proper only due to the pervading attribute of consciousness, like sandalwood etc., this is the meaning.

यथा as? सर्वगतम् the allpervading? सौक्ष्म्यात् because of its subtlety? आकाशम् ether? न not? उपलिप्यते is tainted? सर्वत्र everywhere? अवस्थितः seated? देहे in the body? तथा so? आत्मा the Self? न not? उपलिप्यते is tainted.Commentary Ether pervades everything. All are immersed in it. There is no point whereunto ether does not penetrate and pervade and yet it is not tainted by anything. Even so the Self pervades the whole body and the whole world. Being subtler than the body the Self is never tainted by it or anything else. It is unattached and actionless. It has no parts or limbs. So virtuous and vicious actions cannot contaminate the Self. It is ever pure and stainless.

Yatha, as; sarva-gatam, the all-pervading; akasam, space;-though pervasive, still, na upalipyate, is not defiled, does not come into contact; saukmyat, because of its subtlety; tatha, similarly; atma, the Self; avasthitah, present, sarvatra, everywhere; dehe, in the body; na, is not; upalipyate, defiled.
Further,

As the 'all-pervading ether,' though in contact with all substances, is 'not tainted' by the alities of all these substances, as it is 'subtle' - even so the self, though 'present in all the bodies,' everywhere, namely, in divinities, men etc., is not contaminated by these bodies by reason of Its extreme subtleness.