Gita 5.15
Karma Sanyasa Yoga
नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः | अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः ||१५||
nādatte kasyacit pāpaṁ na caiva sukṛtaṁ vibhuḥ | ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ ||15||
In essence: The all-pervading Self neither inherits your sin nor your virtue—it is ignorance veiling knowledge that creates the delusion of bondage.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "This verse is deeply challenging for me. I've spent my whole life believing that my actions matter—that doing good creates merit and doing bad creates sin. Now you're saying the Self doesn't even acknowledge these?"
Guru: "Does the mirror acknowledge the images reflected in it? The mirror makes reflection possible, yet no image sticks to the glass. Your Self makes experience possible—including the experience of actions and their consequences—but no action sticks to the Self. Your actions matter at the level of experience; they shape the movie of your life. But they don't touch the screen."
Sadhak: "But if I commit a terrible act, something changes, doesn't it? I carry guilt, I face consequences..."
Guru: "Yes—at the level of the body-mind and the world, karma operates precisely. The teaching doesn't deny karma's functioning. It reveals karma's scope: karma belongs to prakṛti, to the field of action and reaction. The Self witnesses this entire field but is not implicated in it. Your guilt, consequences, everything you describe—these are experiences arising in awareness. The Self is the aware presence in which guilt appears, in which consequences unfold. It is not guilty; it witnesses guilt."
Sadhak: "What about the teaching that we must purify ourselves through good actions? Is that unnecessary?"
Guru: "Purification happens at the level of the mind—it's about reducing tamas and rajas, increasing sattva, creating conditions where knowledge can dawn. This is entirely valid and useful. But the goal of purification isn't to make the Self pure—the Self is already pure. The goal is to thin the veil of ignorance so you can recognize what was always there. It's like cleaning a window: the cleaning doesn't create sunlight, but it lets the always-present light through."
Sadhak: "The verse says ignorance 'covers' knowledge. How can knowledge—which should illuminate—be covered?"
Guru: "This is the mystery of māyā. The Self is self-luminous awareness—it knows itself by its own light. Yet somehow, this knowing appears to be obscured. It's like dreaming: the dreamer's waking knowledge is 'covered' during the dream, even though it still exists. You don't lose your memory of waking life in an absolute sense—it's just inaccessible while dreaming. Similarly, the Self's knowledge of itself appears covered by ignorance. This covering is called 'apparent' because it has no independent reality—the moment you look for ignorance with the light of knowledge, it vanishes. But until that looking happens, the covering seems very real."
Sadhak: "So beings are deluded—but is this delusion their fault? Did they somehow choose ignorance?"
Guru: "Neither 'fault' nor 'choice' applies here. Remember, the Self never created doership. If the Self didn't create agency for action, it certainly didn't create agency for the cosmic mistake of ignorance. Ignorance is beginningless—no one 'started' it. It's simply the condition of apparent limitation. The question 'whose fault is it?' still assumes a doer to blame. From the absolute perspective, there's no one to blame—just a beginningless misunderstanding being potentially resolved in the timeless now."
Sadhak: "This feels both liberating and overwhelming. If the Self doesn't take my sin, I'm not fundamentally guilty. But if it also doesn't take my merit, my efforts don't earn me anything either..."
Guru: "Exactly! Both guilt and spiritual pride are dissolved. You're not a sinner before God—you're the Self appearing to be limited. You're also not a saint collecting spiritual gold stars—the Self needs no earning. What remains is present-moment awareness without the burden of karmic identity. Your efforts aren't wasted; they shape your experience and can thin the veil. But they don't purchase liberation—liberation is the recognition that you were always already free."
Sadhak: "How do I remove the ignorance? If it's beginningless, is it endless too?"
Guru: "Beginningless doesn't mean endless. A dream has no traceable beginning—you're always already in it—but it ends the moment you wake. Similarly, ignorance has no traceable origin, but it ends the instant knowledge dawns. How does this happen? Through exactly what's happening now: teaching, inquiry, contemplation. The light of knowledge is what dispels ignorance. You don't need to fight ignorance or push it away; you need to see clearly. In the seeing, the covering dissolves. It's like turning on a light in a dark room—you don't need to sweep out the darkness; light is itself the end of darkness."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Begin with 'The Stainless Self Meditation.' Sit quietly and contemplate: 'My Self—the awareness in which all experience appears—has never been touched by any action I've taken. My worst mistake did not stain it. My best deed did not enhance it. It remains ever-pure, the vibhuḥ, the all-pervading.' Let this recognition bring relief, especially if you carry guilt or shame. The actions happened; the consequences may remain. But you—the witness—were never damaged. Then acknowledge: 'Knowledge of my true nature exists—it's only covered, not destroyed. Today, I remain open to the clearing of that covering.' Set an intention to notice moments when you identify with sin or merit and gently recognize: 'The Self doesn't take this.'
Practice 'Veil-Noticing.' Throughout the day, when you find yourself thinking in terms of 'I am virtuous' or 'I am flawed,' pause. Ask: 'Who is aware of this thought about virtue or flaw?' That awareness—your actual Self—isn't virtuous or flawed; it simply knows these thoughts. This isn't about suppressing moral evaluation; you can still assess actions as skillful or unskillful. But notice the difference between 'that was an unskillful action' (accurate assessment) and 'I am bad' (identification with karma). The first is wisdom; the second is the covering. Also practice noticing the veil of ignorance in moments of suffering: 'This suffering is the experience of someone who has forgotten their true nature. Knowledge is covered. Can I sense, even faintly, the awareness that knows this suffering but is not this suffering?'
Before sleep, do 'The Liberation Review.' Look at the day's actions without assigning them to your Self. 'A body ate breakfast, worked, interacted, rested. The vibhuḥ—my true nature—merely witnessed, untouched.' If you acted poorly, acknowledge it without assuming it touched your Self: 'An unskillful action happened. Consequences will unfold. The Self remains unstained.' If you acted well, appreciate it without spiritual pride: 'A kind action happened. It doesn't make the Self better; the Self is already infinite.' Let this understanding soften the grip of both guilt and pride. Then, as you fall asleep, recognize: 'The covering of ignorance has been the source of all delusion. But knowledge exists beneath it—my true nature knows itself, even now. May that knowledge dawn.' Rest in the recognition that what you seek is already present—only waiting to be uncovered.