Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 16
तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः।पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः।।
tatraivaṁ sati kartāram ātmānaṁ kevalaṁ tu yaḥ
paśyaty akṛta-buddhitvān na sa paśyati durmatiḥ
also searched as "tatraivam sati kartaram atmanam kevalam tu yah"
Translation
Therefore, he who, due to his uncultivated understanding, perceives only the self as the agent, he of wicked mind does not truly perceive.
Vāṇi's rendering
The one who sees the self as the lone doer has not finished thinking — and does not truly see.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तत्रtatra | there, in that situation |
| एवम्evaṁ | thus, in this way |
| सतिsati | this being the case |
| कर्तारम्kartāram | as the doer, the one who acts |
| आत्मानम्ātmānaṁ | the self |
| केवलम्kevalaṁ | alone, sole, by itself |
| तुtu | but, indeed |
| यःyaḥ | whoever |
| पश्यतिpaśyaty | sees, regards (final i becomes y before the next vowel) |
| अकृतबुद्धित्वात्akṛta-buddhitvāt | because of an understanding not yet finished or refined (final t becomes n before na) |
| नna | not |
| सःsa | he |
| पश्यतिpaśyati | sees |
| दुर्मतिःdurmatiḥ | one of poor judgment, badly reasoning |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 16 mean?
It names a specific misperception: taking yourself to be the only cause of what you do. Krishna has just counted five factors in every action. Someone who ignores four of them and keeps one has not thought the matter through. Such a person, Krishna says plainly, does not see.
What does tatraivam sati kartaram atmanam kevalam tu yah teach?
That the sense of being the sole doer comes from unfinished reasoning, not from wickedness. Akṛta-buddhi means an understanding left half-made. Look honestly at any act you completed and you will find hands, timing, teaching, and chance woven through it. Removing yourself from that weave is the error.
Does this verse mean I am not responsible for my actions?
No. Krishna is arguing Arjuna into battle, not out of it. Responsibility stays; sole authorship goes. You act, and you answer for how you act. What you do not get to claim is that the outcome rose from you alone. That claim is what he calls not seeing.
Why does Krishna call such a person durmati?
Because the fault is in the reasoning, not the heart. Durmati is bad thinking, and bad thinking here has consequences — it makes every success swell you and every failure crush you. Correct the arithmetic and both weights lighten. That is the practical gift hidden inside a harsh word.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Krishna has just laid out five causes for any act — the body, the doer, the instruments, the many motions, and what nobody controls. Now he names the error. Not that you act, but that you alone act. The one who counts himself the whole cause has stopped the count too early; akṛta-buddhi, an understanding not yet finished. Arjuna wants to own the killing, and Krishna will not let him own that much. Pride and guilt are the same arithmetic mistake. When your work goes well, something carried it that you did not supply. When it goes badly, the same is true.