Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Verse 30

English Translation

And he who sees actions as being done in various ways by Nature itself, and also the Self as the non-agent,-he sees.

Detailed Commentary

Commentary: In reality, the conscious principle, who is Bhagavān, resides in peace and equipoise. The power of Bhagavān, which is called Prakriti, always remains active. Although Prakriti is categorized into active and inactive forms (it is active in the state of creation and inactive in the state of dissolution or *pralaya*), yet upon deeper reflection, its activity does not cease even in the state of *pralaya*. This is because when *pralaya* begins, Prakriti moves towards the state of creation. Thus, subtle activity continues. This subtle activity is called the inactive state, as creation does not manifest in this condition. But when creation occurs, it is called the active state. If Prakriti were considered completely inactive during *pralaya* and *mahapralaya*, how would their beginning, middle, and end occur? These three manifest only through subtle activities within Prakriti. Taking the example of the sun, light increases at sunrise in the morning, and darkness increases after sunset. But in reality, the subtle activity of light and darkness continuously goes on. When Purusha associates with this Prakriti, the natural activities of the body appear to be its own. Prakriti and all its functions—all the activities that occur in the body, such as eating, drinking, walking, sleeping, waking, etc.—are performed by Prakriti. There is no activity in the Self. One who sees this truly sees, because he understands himself to be the non-doer (*akartā*). Here, actions are described as being through Prakriti, Gunas, and Indriyas, and all these expressions refer to the same reality. Therefore, whatever actions occur, they happen only through Prakriti.