Shloka 11
Citraketu’s Detachment, Nārada’s Mantra, and the Darśana of Anantadeva
नादत्त आत्मा हि गुणं न दोषं न क्रियाफलम् । उदासीनवदासीन: परावरदृगीश्वर: ॥ ११ ॥
nādatta ātmā hi guṇaṁ na doṣaṁ na kriyā-phalam udāsīnavad āsīnaḥ parāvara-dṛg īśvaraḥ
പരമാത്മാവ് ഗുണങ്ങളെയോ ദോഷങ്ങളെയോ കർമ്മഫലങ്ങളെയോ സ്വീകരിക്കുന്നില്ല. കാര്യകാരണങ്ങൾക്ക് സാക്ഷിയായി ഉദാസീനനെപ്പോലെ വർത്തിക്കുന്ന ഈശ്വരനാണവൻ.
The conditioned soul has friends and enemies. He is affected by the good qualities and the faults of his position. The Supreme Lord, however, is always transcendental. Because He is the īśvara, the supreme controller, He is not affected by duality. It may therefore be said that He sits in the core of everyone’s heart as the neutral witness of the causes and effects of one’s activities, good and bad. We should also understand that udāsīna, neutral, does not mean that He takes no action. Rather, it means that He is not personally affected. For example, a court judge is neutral when two opposing parties appear before him, but he still takes action as the case warrants. To become completely neutral, indifferent, to material activities, we should simply seek shelter at the lotus feet of the supreme neutral person.
FAQs
This verse explains that the ātmā does not truly take on virtue, fault, or the fruits of actions; it remains a witnessing reality, while material identification makes one feel bound.
He indicates that the Supreme Lord remains unattached and impartial as the witness of all states—higher and lower—though He governs everything as īśvara.
Perform duties responsibly but reduce ego-based identification with outcomes—offer results to God, and cultivate the stance of a calm witness rather than being consumed by success or failure.