Bhagavad Gita — Karma Sannyasa Yoga, Shloka 13
Karma Sannyasa Yoga
न कर्तृत्वं न कर्माणि लोकस्य सृजति प्रभुः । न कर्मफलसंयोगं स्वभावस्तु प्रवर्तते ॥ ५.१४ ॥
na kartṛtvaṃ na karmāṇi lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ | na karmaphalasaṃyogaṃ svabhāvas tu pravartate || 5.14 ||
Le Seigneur ne crée ni l’agentivité (le sentiment d’être l’auteur) des êtres, ni leurs actes, ni l’union avec les fruits de l’action ; c’est la nature propre (svabhāva) qui met tout en mouvement.
प्रभु न तो लोक के कर्तृत्व को रचता है, न कर्मों को और न कर्मफल के संयोग को; स्वभाव ही प्रवृत्त होता है।
The Lord does not create for the world either agency, actions, or the connection with the fruits of action; rather, intrinsic nature (svabhāva) proceeds.
The verse is often read as rejecting divine moral arbitrariness: bondage and fruit arise through natural/causal order (svabhāva), not by a creator assigning doership. Theological traditions reconcile this with divine governance by distinguishing ultimate from empirical causality.
FAQs
By attributing much of behavior to conditioned nature, the verse can promote humility and careful self-cultivation, while still encouraging responsibility through understanding causes and habits.
It points to an impersonal causal structure (svabhāva) governing action–result relations, limiting the idea that a deity directly manufactures doership or dispenses outcomes capriciously.
In the chapter’s argument for inner renunciation, this verse supports the view that bondage is not imposed by God but arises through nature and misidentification with agency.
Analyze actions in terms of causes—habits, environments, incentives—then adjust conditions rather than relying only on blame or guilt.