Shloka 19
Citraketu Offends Śiva, Is Cursed by Pārvatī, and Is Glorified as a Vaiṣṇava
नैवात्मा न परश्चापि कर्ता स्यात् सुखदु:खयो: । कर्तारं मन्यतेऽत्राज्ञ आत्मानं परमेव च ॥ १९ ॥
naivātmā na paraś cāpi kartā syāt sukha-duḥkhayoḥ kartāraṁ manyate ’trājña ātmānaṁ param eva ca
In dieser materiellen Welt sind weder das Lebewesen selbst noch andere die Ursache von Glück und Leid; doch aus grober Unwissenheit hält es sich und andere dafür verantwortlich.
In this verse the word ajña is very significant. In the material world, all living entities are ajña, ignorant, in different degrees. This ignorance continues very strongly in the mode of ignorance presented by material nature. One must therefore promote himself to the stage of goodness through his character and behavior and then gradually come to the transcendental platform, or adhokṣaja platform, in which he realizes both his position and the position of others. Everything is done under the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The process by which the results of action are ordained is called niyatam, always working.
FAQs
This verse says neither the jīva nor another person is the ultimate doer of happiness and distress; ignorance makes one wrongly assign doership—either to oneself or even to the Supreme Lord.
He highlights the ignorance of false doership: conditioned souls misidentify the cause of sukha-duḥkha and therefore blame an imagined agent instead of understanding the deeper principle behind experience.
Pause before blaming yourself or God; reflect on causes beyond ego-driven doership, and respond with steadiness, responsibility, and devotion rather than resentment.