(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

We Are Similar To Animals As Long As We Work With Bodily Identity

नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभु: |
अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तव: || 5.15||

nādatte kasyachit pāpaṁ na chaiva sukṛitaṁ vibhuḥ
ajñānenāvṛitaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ|| 5.15||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 5- Ver. 15:

The omnipresent God does not involve Himself in the sinful or virtuous deeds of anyone. Because their inner understanding is blocked by ignorance, living entities are deceived.

Explanation

God is not responsible for anyone’s good or bad behaviour. In this way, God’s work is threefold. He gives the soul the ability to act. He takes note of our acts after we have used the power He has given us. He tells us what our karmas have resulted in. By exercising its own free will, each individual soul has the ability to commit good or harmful deeds.
The soul is a microscopic component of God, possessing only a fraction of His attributes. As a result, the soul has a little level of autonomy in terms of how it uses its senses, thinking, and intellect. There can also be no love without free will. God has given us free will and has made us to love Him.

Some souls are unaware that they have the option to select their acts and hold God accountable for their errors because of their ignorance. Others are aware that they have free will, but they take delight in the egoistic notion of being the body, which gives them a sense of doership.

Verse & what we can learn

Our strong attachment with the body, mind, and intellect causes ignorance. The everlasting essence is unaffected by sin or merit. At one level, there is the person who believes he is related with action, sin, and merit, and at another level, there is the person who believes he is associated with an everlasting essence. There is a duality between sin and merit. Duality has no bearing when you rise above it.

To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.

There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There are also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.

In the Next verse, Shri Krishna tells Arjuna about how supreme entity is revealed.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…