HomeUpanishadsNiralambaVerse 11
Previous Verse
Next Verse

Verse 11

Niralamba

कर्मेति च—क्रियमाणेन्द्रियैः कर्मण्यहं करोमीत्यध्यात्मनिष्ठतया कृतं कर्मैव कर्म। अकर्मेति च—कर्तृत्वभोक्तृत्वाद्यहङ्कारतया बन्धरूपं जन्मादिकारणं नित्यनैमित्तिकयागव्रततपोदानादिषु फलाभिसन्धानं यत्तदकर्म॥११-१२॥

कर्म इति च — क्रियमाणैः इन्द्रियैः कर्मणि अहं करोमि इति अध्यात्म-निष्ठतया कृतम् कर्म एव कर्म । अकर्म इति च — कर्तृत्व-भोक्तृत्व-आदि-अहङ्कारतया बन्ध-रूपम् जन्म-आदि-कारणम् नित्य-नैमित्तिक-याग-व्रत-तपः-दान-आदिषु फल-अभिसन्धानम् यत् तत् अकर्म ॥११-१२॥

karmeti ca—kriyamāṇendriyaiḥ karmaṇy ahaṃ karomīty adhyātma-niṣṭhatayā kṛtaṃ karmaiva karma | akarmeti ca—kartṛtva-bhoktṛtvādy-ahaṅkāratayā bandha-rūpaṃ janmādi-kāraṇaṃ nitya-naimittika-yāga-vrata-tapo-dānādiṣu phalābhisandhānaṃ yat tad akarma ||11–12||

En cuanto al “karma” (acción): sólo es acción verdadera cuando, mientras los sentidos realizan el acto, éste se ejecuta con firmeza interior (adhyātma-niṣṭhā), con la conciencia de “yo actúo” en esa misma acción. En cuanto al “akarma” (no-acción): aquello que, por el ego como agente y disfrutador y demás, se vuelve atadura, causa de nacimiento y similares—esto es, la búsqueda de frutos en ritos obligatorios y ocasionales, votos, austeridades, dádivas y cosas semejantes—eso se llama no-acción.

And as to ‘action’ (karma): action alone is (true) action when, while the senses are performing the act, it is done with inner steadfastness (adhyātma-niṣṭhā) as ‘I act’ in that action. And as to ‘non-action’ (akarma): that which, through the ego-sense of agency and enjoyership and the like, becomes bondage, the cause of birth and so on—namely, the aiming at results in obligatory and occasional rites, vows, austerities, gifts, and the like—that is (called) non-action.

Karma vs akarma; doership (kartṛtva) and bondage; niṣkāma-karma oriented to adhyātma-niṣṭhāMahavakya: Indirectly supports ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ by undermining kartṛtva/bhoktṛtva (doer-enjoyer) and pointing to the Self as akartā (non-agent) in the ultimate sense.AtharvaChandas: Prose