Verse 5.15

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 5.15:

नादत्ते कस्यचित् पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः ।
अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः ॥ १५ ॥

nādatte kasyacit pāpaṃ na caiva sukṛtaṃ vibhuḥ |
ajñānenāvṛtaṃ jñānaṃ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ || 15 ||

na ādatte–does not accept; kasyacit–of anyone; pāpam–the sinful reaction; na–neither; ca–nor; eva–certainly; sukṛtam–the pious reaction; vibhuḥ–the great (Supreme Controller); ajñānena–by ignorance; āvṛtam–covered; jñānam–(spontaneous) transcendental knowledge; tena–for that reason; muhyanti–are bewildered; jantavaḥ–the living beings.

The Supreme Lord does not accept anyone’s sinful or pious reactions. Ignorance covers the inherent true knowledge of the living entities and bewilders them.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

The Supreme Lord does not prompt, or inaugurate, the living entity’s good or bad actions for the same reason that He Himself does not incur sin or piety. To explain this, Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse beginning with nādatte. It is only the deluding potency, the avidyā-śakti, that covers the fine knowledge of the jīva. He thus says ajñānena, meaning that the inborn, or natural, knowledge of the living entity becomes covered by ignorance, and it is only due to this that the jīva becomes deluded.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Bhagavān is vibhu, all-pervading and boundless. He is complete in realization, bliss and unlimited energy. He is always absorbed in His own nature, the ocean of bliss. He does not prompt good or bad deeds in anyone, because He is indifferent to everything. Śrī Bhagavān is self-satisfied (ātmārāma) and His every desire is fulfilled (āptakāma). It is His avidyā-śakti, deluding potency, that covers the natural and inborn knowledge of the jīva, and by it, the jīva in the conditioned state identifies his self with his body. The jīva develops the ego of being the doer of his actions only because he falsely identifies his body to be his self.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.16.11) states:

nādatta ātmā hi guṇaṃ na doṣaṃ na kriyā-phalam
udāsīnavad āsīnaḥ parāvara-dṛg īśvaraḥ

The soul of Citraketu Mahārāja’s dead son gave this instruction to his father, who was suffering from lamentation: “The Supersoul does not accept happiness or distress or the results of actions such as the attainment of a kingdom. He witnesses the cause and effect of one’s actions, and because He is not under the control of the material body and material events, He remains indifferent.”