Shloka 3
कर्मनाशाभावः, गर्भे जीवप्रवेशः, आचारधर्मोपदेशः
Karma’s Non-Extinction, Jīva’s Entry into the Embryo, and Instruction on Conduct-Dharma
पापं चापि तथैव स्यात् पापेन मनसा कृतम् | पुरोधाय मनो हीदं कर्मण्यात्मा प्रवर्तते,इसी तरह कलुषित चित्तसे किये हुए पापके फलमें भी वृद्धि होती है; क्योंकि जीवात्मा मनको आगे करके ही प्रत्येक कार्यमें प्रवृत्त होता है
pāpaṃ cāpi tathaiva syāt pāpena manasā kṛtam | purodhāya mano hīdaṃ karmaṇy ātmā pravartate |
So too, sin committed with a sinful, tainted mind becomes intensified in its consequence; for in every action here, the self sets the mind in front and proceeds, making the mind the leader of the deed.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The moral weight of an act depends strongly on the mind behind it: when the mind is corrupted, the resulting sin and its fruit are said to grow, because the self acts by first placing the mind in the lead.
A Brahmin speaker is explaining an ethical principle about karma: actions are driven by the mind, and therefore inner intention and mental purity determine the seriousness and outcome of sinful deeds.