Shloka 17
यस्तु कर्तारमात्मानं मन्यते साध्वसाधु वा । तस्य दोषवती प्रज्ञा अतत्त्वज्ञेति मे मतिः,जो आत्माको शुभ या अशुभ कर्मोंका कर्ता मानता है, उसकी बुद्धि दोषसे युक्त और तत्त्वज्ञानसे रहित है--ऐसी मेरी मान्यता है
yastu kartāram ātmānaṃ manyate sādhv asādhu vā | tasya doṣavatī prajñā atattvajñeti me matiḥ ||
Prahlāda berkata: “Sesiapa yang menyangka Diri (Ātman) sebagai pelaku—sama ada perbuatan baik atau jahat—maka pemahamannya tercemar oleh kesilapan; pada hematku, orang demikian bukanlah mengetahui hakikat.”
प्रह्माद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the doctrine of non-doership of the Ātman: attributing moral agency (good or bad action) to the true Self is a philosophical error. True knowledge distinguishes the witnessing Self from actions performed through body-mind and the play of guṇas/causality.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Prahlāda is presented as giving a reflective teaching on reality (tattva) and right understanding. He critiques the common assumption that the inner Self is the direct doer of actions, framing it as a mark of incomplete spiritual discernment.