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Bhagavad-gītā 5.14

न कर्तृत्वं न कर्माणि लोकस्य सृजति प्रभु: । न कर्मफलसंयोगं स्वभावस्तु प्रवर्तते ॥ १४ ॥
na kartṛtvaṁ na karmāṇi
[na kartritvam na karmaani]
lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ
[lokasya srijati prabhuh]
na karma-phala-saṁyogaṁ
[na karma-phala-samyogam]
svabhāvas tu pravartate
[svabhaavas tu pravartate]
Word-for-word
na — never kartṛtvam — proprietorship na — nor karmāṇi — activities lokasya — of the people sṛjati — creates prabhuḥ — the master of the city of the body na — nor karma - phala — with the results of activities saṁyogam — connection svabhāvaḥ — the modes of material nature tu — but pravartate — act .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na kartṛtvaṁ na karmāṇi
na
never
kartṛtvam
proprietorship
na
nor
karmāṇi
activities
lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ
lokasya
of the people
sṛjati
creates
prabhuḥ
the master of the city of the body
na karma-phala-saṁyogaṁ
na
nor
karma - phala
with the results of activities
saṁyogam
connection
svabhāvas tu pravartate
svabhāvaḥ
the modes of material nature
tu
but
pravartate
act .
Important Words
  • kartṛtvam — proprietorship
    From kartṛ — doer. The -tva suffix abstracts: 'doer-ness.' Kṛṣṇa does not create this sense of being-a-doer in the living entity. False doership is the soul's own confusion, not God's imposition.
  • prabhuḥ — the master of the city of the body
    From pra + √bhū, 'becoming forth, prevailing.' Prabhupāda glosses this as the master of the city; some commentaries take it as the Supreme Lord. Either reading carries the same teaching: the master, however identified, does not generate the modes' workings.
  • karma-phala-saṁyogam — connection with the results of activities
    The Lord does not even forge the connection between act and result. That linkage is the work of karma itself — the impersonal law operating through the modes. This is a crucial doctrinal point: the Lord is not the celestial accountant doling out fruits.
  • svabhāvaḥ — the modes of material nature
    Sva — own. Bhāva — nature, condition. 'Own-nature.' Each conditioned being's svabhāva, formed by prior karma and current modes, is what enacts the activity. Prabhupāda glosses it as the modes themselves doing the work.
  • pravartate — act
    From pra + √vṛt — 'to roll forward, set in motion.' Material nature pravartates — keeps rolling forward of its own momentum. The Lord set the wheel turning at creation; He does not push it daily.
The embodied spirit, master of the city of his body, does not create activities, nor does he induce people to act, nor does he create the fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material nature.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The 'prabhu' (here the indwelling self, master of the nine-gated city) is not the originator of doership, actions, or their karmic linkage — svabhāva (the play of prakṛti's guṇas) is. Witness, not author.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Whether prabhu denotes the embodied self (deha-prabhu, continuing 5.13) or the Supreme is debated; the immediate context favors the embodied self. The verse strips away the false attribution of doership: the self is neither creator of the world's actions nor their administrator of karma. Cross-ref 3.27 (ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate).
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
प्रभुः लोकस्य कर्तृत्वम् न सृजति कर्माणि न (सृजति) कर्म-फल-संयोगम् न (सृजति) । स्वभावः तु प्रवर्तते ।
prabhuḥ lokasya kartṛtvam na sṛjati karmāṇi na (sṛjati) karma-phala-saṃyogam na (sṛjati) | svabhāvaḥ tu pravartate |
The Lord (the embodied master) creates neither doership, nor actions, nor the conjunction with action's fruit for the world. Rather, (each one's) own nature operates.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
न कर्तृत्वम् न कर्माणि लोकस्य सृजति प्रभुः । न कर्म-फल-संयोगम् स्वभावः तु प्रवर्तते ॥
na kartṛtvam na karmāṇi lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ | na karma-phala-saṃyogam svabhāvaḥ tu pravartate ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
न na ind. (indeclinable) not
कर्तृत्वम् kartṛtvam कर्तृ + त्व (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) doership
कर्माणि karmāṇi कर्मन् (n.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) actions
लोकस्य lokasya लोक (m.) gen.sg. (genitive singular) of the world / for the world
सृजति sṛjati √सृज् pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) creates, produces
प्रभुः prabhuḥ प्रभु (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) the Lord / the master (here: the embodied self)
कर्म-फल-संयोगम् karma-phala-saṃyogam कर्म + फल + संयोग (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) the conjunction with action's fruit
स्वभावः svabhāvaḥ स्व-भाव (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), karmadhāraya one's own nature
तु tu ind. (indeclinable) but, rather
प्रवर्तते pravartate प्र + √वृत् pres. (present) 3sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) operates, sets in motion
Purport

The living entity, as will be explained in the Seventh Chapter, is one of the energies or natures of the Supreme Lord but is distinct from matter, which is another nature – called inferior – of the Lord. Somehow the superior nature, the living entity, has been in contact with material nature since time immemorial. The temporary body or material dwelling place which he obtains is the cause of varieties of activities and their resultant reactions. Living in such a conditional atmosphere, one suffers the results of the activities of the body by identifying himself (in ignorance) with the body. It is ignorance acquired from time immemorial that is the cause of bodily suffering and distress. As soon as the living entity becomes aloof from the activities of the body, he becomes free from the reactions as well. As long as he is in the city of the body, he appears to be the master of it, but actually he is neither its proprietor nor controller of its actions and reactions. He is simply in the midst of the material ocean, struggling for existence. The waves of the ocean are tossing him, and he has no control over them. His best solution is to get out of the water by transcendental Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That alone will save him from all turmoil.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
14. The Lord does not create doership of the jīva nor does He force the results of action on the jīva. This takes place by the jīva’s nature.
Commentary

“Well if the jīva is actually not the doer of activities, then, from seeing the jīva doing and enjoying everywhere in the universe created by the Supreme Lord, I think that the Lord has created the jīva’s (illusory) doership and enjoying, forcing it upon the jīva. Therefore, injustice and cruelty must be present in the Lord.” No, that is not true at all. He does not make the jīva do activities nor does He give the jīva the results of his activities. Rather the nature of the jīva in the form of his beginningless ignorance alone produces this. That ignorance makes the jīva assume the false identification as the doer.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
14. The jīva does not create his own capacity as agent, nor does he cause others to act, nor does he bestow the results of action. This takes place by svabhāva.
Commentary

In this verse the Lord explains how the jīva with ātmā jñāna does not perform action or cause anyone to act. The master of the sense and body, the jīva (prabhuḥ), does not become an agent who makes other people perform action (kartṛtvam), saying “You do that.” Nor does he perform most desirable actions for himself, such as making garlands or cloth. He himself is not the doer. Nor does he create a relationship (saṁyogam) with the results of action, with happiness and distress: he does not become the enjoyer of results, nor does he cause others to enjoy the results. Then who should we conclude acts or makes others act? It takes place by svabhāva. The jīva, in possessing the body and senses arising from previously described pradhāna, by the impressions arising in pradhāna with no beginning(svabhāva), becomes the doer and cause of others acting. The jīva as an isolated entity is not the doer. The slight doership attributed to the jīva even in its pure state, described in the previous verse with the words sukham aste, should be understood as arising in such things as perception or knowledge alone. The word kartṛ is a noun whose root denotes action. In this verse the impressions are said to be the doer, taking the chief import of the word.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

The embodied soul does not create any activity, does not induce others to act, he does not create the fruits of action. All this is enacted by the three modes of material nature. He knows this, he knows that he is not the one working and he is not the one making others work ‑ he is completely aloof from this due to his knowledge. In the Purport, Srila Prabhupada says:"The temporary body or material dwelling place which he obtains is the cause of varieties of activities and their resultant reactions. Living in such a conditional atmosphere, one suffers the results of the activities of the body by identifying himself (in ignorance) with the body. ignorance acquired from time immemorial that is the cau bodily suffering and distress. As soon as the living entity becomes aloof from the activities of the body, he becomes free from the reactions as well. As long as he is in the city of body, he appears to be the master of it, but actually he is neither its proprietor nor controller of its actions and reactions. He is simply in the midst of the material ocean, struggling for existence. The waves of the ocean are tossing him, and he has no control over them. His best solution is to get out of the water by transcendental Krsna consciousness. That alone will save him from all turmoil." He, the living entity, within the body ‑ that is the first doer. He knows that he is not the body but he is in the body. He is usually considered the doer but in this verse he knows that he is not doing anything, he is not inducing people to act, he doesn't create the activities nor is he creating the fruits of action ‑ it is all happening by the modes of material nature. This is pushing the blame of doership of all activities to the modes of material nature. But who is actually in control of the modes of material nature? That is the Supersoul. The natural thought is: "If I am not the doer then who is doing everything? That is the Supersoul. And because He is the One who is doing everything ‑ He is responsible for everything that happens!" This is a natural progression of thought. And therefore Krsna, to relieve Himself of the responsability for what happens, speaks verse 15.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study Key verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Role of modes

THEME: One in Knowledge perceives, therefore the material nature as the cause of worldly actions

Focus of Learning

(a) Living entities as one of the energies – It is a superior energy as compared to matter which is the

inferior energy (Ref. Bg. 7.5)

(b) Ignorance is the cause of suffering

Soul is in contact with the material nature since time immemorial
Temporary body is the cause of varieties of activities and resultant reactions
In ignorance one identifies with the activities of the body and suffers the result

(a) Soul placed in body

Lives in the city of nine gates
Nine gates – Two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, one mouth, the anus and genitals
The soul has a choice – Although subjecting oneself to the conditions of the body, one can be beyond those conditions if he so desires

(b) Cause of soul’s suffering – Owing to the forgetfulness of his superior nature and identifying with

the material nature

(c) Solution to the soul’s suffering – By Krishna consciousness one revives his real position and comes

out of the embodiment because by Krishna consciousness

One becomes completely aloof from bodily activities
In such a controlled life one deliberations are changed and he lives happily within the city of nine gates

(d) Supporting reference – Svetasvatara Upanisad

When the living entity identifies with the Lord within Himself, he becomes just as free as the Lord, even while in the body
Therefore a Krishna conscious person is free from both the outer and inner activities of the material body
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
5.14 Prabhuh, the Self; na srjati, does not create; lokasya, for anyone; kartrtvam, agentship, by saying 'Do this'; or even karmani, any objects-such objects as chariot, pot, palace, etc. which are intensely longed for; nor even karma-phala-samyogam, association with the results of actions-association of the creator of a chariot etc. with the result of his work. Objection: If the embodied one does not do anything himself, and does not make others do, then who is it that engages in work by doing and making others do? The answer is: Tu, but; it is svabhavah, Nature- one's own (sva) nature (bhava)-characterized as ignorance, Maya, which will be spoken of in, 'Since this divine Maya' (7.14); pravartate, that acts. But from the highest standpoint-
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
5.14 When the world of embodied selves exists in conjunction with the Prakrti in the form of gods, animals, men, immobile things etc., the master (Prabhu i.e., the Jiva who is the master of the body), who is not subject to Karma and is established in Its own essential nature, does not bring about: (i) the agency of gods, men etc. (ii) their manifold and particular actions and (iii) their connection with the fruits in the form of embodiment as gods etc., resulting from their actions. Who then brings about agency etc.? It is only the tendencies that act. A tendency (Svabhava) is subtle impressions (Vasanas) originating from Prakrti. The meaning is that agency, etc., do not originate from the natural or pristine condition of the self but are generated by the subtle impressions created by misconceiving those forms of Prakrti etc., as of the self. This is the result of the conjunction of the self with Prakrti in the form of gods, etc., which has been generated by the flow of previous Karmas brought about in beginningless time.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
5.14 Na kartrtvam etc. This Soul does not do anything for anything. But, Its exertion is only Its inherent nature and it is not due to any desire for results. For, the Bhagavat, the Conscious Energy Itself Whose ultimately true inherent nature is the Illumination-Bliss-Freedom-of-Will, and Which brings out, merely by Its own nature, the continuous series of creation, manitenance and withdrawl of all (the Universe); hence in It, there is never a departure, even to a little extent, from Its own inherent nature. Hence there is no such thing as a particular stage of being a creator i.e., a creatorhood separate [from Itself]. Because that does not exist, what actions can be there ? If actions are not there, the fruit is to be of what or for whom ? Then what connection could be three with the fruit of action ? [Further], 'action' in this context is [only] the kriya-[sakti] or creative energy [which is nothing but His will], and 'result of action' too in only the fruit of this kriya. For example, the activity like rotating the [potter's] wheel by the stick is not [actually] different [from what is to be created i.e., the pot]. Nor the creator of the pot is different from it. For, all exist within the Conscious Energy. Therefore, it is only the Animate Sovereign Supreme Lord that manifests in this and that form. Therefore there exist no activity and its result etc., apart from That. This is demonstrated conclusion [of the scriptures]. So, if there is no activity or its result [as stated above], then even the result, ordained in [the scriptural] injunctions cannot have a status of being produced by the unseen [cause]. After saying this in the other first hemistich [of the following verse], the Lord justifies in the other hemistich the same statement with reference to the men of mundane life :-
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
5.14 Neither agency nor actions does the Lord create for the world, nor union with the fruits of actions. But it is Nature that acts.
Commentary

5.14 न not? कर्तृत्वम् agency? न not? कर्माणि actions? लोकस्य for this world? सृजति creates? प्रभुः the Lord? न not? कर्मफलसंयोगम् union with the fruits of actions? स्वभावः nature? तु but? प्रवर्तते leads to action.Commentary The Lord does not create agency or doership. He does not press anyone to do actions. He never tells anyone? Do this or do that. He does not bring about the union with the fruit of actions. It is Prakritit or Nature that does everything. (Cf.III.33)

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
5.14 The Self does not create agentship or any objects (of desire) for anyone; nor association with the results of actions. But it is Nature that acts.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
5.14 The Lord of this universe has not ordained activity, or any incentive thereto, or any relation between an act and its consequences. All this is the work of Nature.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 5.15 BG 9.9 BG 13.30 SB 3.26.7 SB 3.26.19 SB 11.7.7 CC Ādi 5.41 CC Madhya 20.272 CC Ādi 6.14 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.6
Concepts
Bhava
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The Lord does not create the activities of beings, the doership, or the connection of activity to fruit — nature carries it out.
Practical Applications
  • Stop blaming Kṛṣṇa for outcomes of your action.
  • Take responsibility for your own karma rather than projecting it.
  • See that nature, not God, is the immediate operator.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I blaming Kṛṣṇa for what nature is carrying out?
  • What responsibility have I been deflecting?
Analogy

A river flowing through a town does not decide to power the mill or flood the bank — the river's nature carries it; the town's gradient shapes it. Kṛṣṇa is the source of all but does not micromanage which leaf falls where. Nature, gradient, conditions enact themselves. Stop blaming the river for the wheel turning.

Stories
Yudhiṣṭhira blaming Kṛṣṇa for the war

After the Kurukṣetra war, Yudhiṣṭhira sat in grief on the throne. He had killed his cousins, his grand-uncle Bhīṣma, his teacher Droṇa. He blamed himself, blamed his brothers, and at moments blamed Kṛṣṇa for permitting such carnage.

Kṛṣṇa repeatedly redirected him. The war was the ripening of the modes — of generations of Kuru choices, of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's partiality, of Duryodhana's greed, of Yudhiṣṭhira's own gambling. Svabhāvas tu pravartate — material nature, the modes, were carrying out what they were carrying out.

The Lord neither created Yudhiṣṭhira's doership nor designed the war's outcomes; He stood as guide and friend through what nature was already enacting. The verse is Kṛṣṇa's standing answer to every soul tempted to blame Him for the consequences of conditioned action.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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