薄伽梵歌 18.17

亞爾諸那啊，我將向你解釋超越活動、擺脫「業」（Karma）束縛之人的特徵。當自私和「我執」（Egoism）被摧毀，當慾望和個人利益被捨棄時，行為便無法束縛一個人。他知道當身體毀滅時，「自性」（Self）並不會被毀滅。他沒有行為者（agency）的觀念。在他而言，殺戮行為本身成為維護世界和平與和諧所必需的。他無慾望的殺戮，就像劊子手和法官為了維護世界和平與和諧，代表社區處決殺人犯一樣。一個擁有訓練有素的理解力、純淨的悟性和發展的理性，通曉經典，致力於研讀經典，具備邏輯知識，並經由「上師」（preceptor）教導而訓練有素的人，完全擺脫了「我是行為者」的自我中心觀念。他完全清楚自然（Prakriti）或「德性」（Guna）或一個人的本性做一切事。他因此認為：「我是所有活動的寂靜見證者。我不是行為者。這五種（身體、行為者等），透過無明被疊加在純粹、無為的『自性』之上，是所有行為的原因。我什麼都沒做。感官在感官對象中活動。『德性』（Gunas）在感官中其對應物中活動，這些對應物也是『德性』的產物。我知曉『德性』及其功能的本質。我本質上沒有肢體。行為或工作怎能歸因於我？我沒有手、沒有腿、沒有腳、沒有呼吸、沒有心意。我永遠純淨、無瑕、不動、不變。」他絕不會後悔說：「我做錯了事。我本應這樣做。我做了惡行。我會下地獄。」他永遠是智者，絕不會做錯事。他的意志已與宇宙意志合一，與主（奎師那）的意志融合。他所做的一切，都只是由主（奎師那）所做。他沒有自己的意志。他看得正確。儘管他殺戮，他卻沒有犯下殺戮的行為。他不受惡行果報的束縛，因為他擁有「自性」知識，超越了善惡，超越了對立的兩極。有反對者說：「儘管他殺戮這些人，他卻不殺戮」這句話是自相矛盾的。我們說：這個反對意見實際上站不住腳。從世俗的角度來看，主（奎師那）說「儘管他殺戮」，因為人將「自性」與身體等認同，並認為「我是殺戮者」。從上述的超驗角度來看，主（奎師那）說：「他不殺戮，他不受束縛。」另一個反對者說：「『自性』與身體等結合而行動——那將他孤立的『自性』視為行為者的人……」（第十八章第十六節）。我們說：這個反對意見也站不住腳。正如遍在的虛空因其微妙性而不受影響，同樣，「自性」遍佈身體各處，也不受影響。這個不朽、不變、無形、無屬性的「自性」，儘管安住於身體中，卻不行動也不受影響，就像水晶不受接觸它的紅花的紅色影響，就像太陽不受眼睛疾病的影響一樣。只有會變化的事物才能與其他事物結合並成為行為者。「自性」始終是孤立、獨立和自由的。這個「自性」是不變的（第二章第二十五節）。「德性」在「德性」中活動（第三章第二十八節）。儘管安住於身體中，祂卻不行動（第十三章第三十一節）。行為是由「德性」所做（第三章第二十七節）。你將在《廣林奧義書》中找到。透過推理，我們也可以得出相同的結論： 「自性」是不可分割、遍佈一切、無限、無肢、無部分、獨立、永遠自由且不變的。因此，身體的行為絕不能歸因於「自性」的行為者（agency）。確實，一個人的行為不能歸於沒有做這些行為的另一個人。正如藍色不能屬於天空，銀色不能屬於珍珠母，水不能屬於海市蜃樓，同樣，由無明歸因於「自性」的事物，實際上不能屬於祂。身體中發生的變化屬於身體，而不屬於純粹無為的「自性」，「自性」始終是旁觀者或寂靜的見證者。因此，說擺脫「我執」和所有心靈雜質的智者，即使殺戮，既不殺戮也不受束縛，是正確的。在第二章第十九節中，主（奎師那）提出了命題：「他不殺戮，他也不被殺戮。」在第二章第二十節中，祂說：「『自性』是無生、永恆、古老的；當身體被殺戮時，『自性』並未被殺戮。」主（奎師那）在此處和彼處都提到「自性」不受行為影響，智者沒有必要做行為。祂總結說，聖者不殺戮，也不受束縛，並總結了《薄伽梵歌》的教義。本詩節總結了《薄伽梵歌》的教義。擺脫「我執」的「三亞士」（Sannyasins）不受「業」（Karma）影響。行為的三種果報，即惡、善和混合（參見上文第十二節），不會降臨到他們身上。那些懷著「我執」和期望果報而工作的世俗之人，會被行為所沾染。他們被迫體驗其行為的果報，並一次又一次地出生。（參閱《薄伽梵歌》第二章第十九節、第五章第七節）

I will explain to thee? O Arjuna? the characterisitics of the man who has transcended activity? and who has gone beyond the bonds of Karma.When selfishnes and egoism are destroyed? when desire and personal gain are renounced? actions cannot bind a man. He knows that the Self is not destroyed when the body perishes. He has no idea of agency. The act of killing itself? in his case? becomes one necessary for the peace and harmony of the world. His killing without desire is like the killing of a murderer by the executioner and the judge on behalf of the community for the preservation of peace and harmony in the world.He who has a trained intellect? pure understanding and developed reason? who has a knowledge of the scriptures? who has devoted himself to the study of the scriptures? who is eipped with the knowledge of logic? who is well trained by the instructions of his preceptor? is absolutely free from the egoistic notion that I am the agent or the doer. He knows perfectly well that Nature or Guna or ones own nature does everything. He thus thinks I am the silent witness of all activities. I am not the doer. These five (the body? the actor? etc.) which are superimposed on the pure? actionless Self through ignorance are the causes of all actions. I do not do anything. The senses move amongst the senseobjects. The alities (Gunas) move in their counterparts in the senses which are also the products of the Gunas. I know the essence of the divisions of the alities and their functions. I am in essence without limbs. How can action or work be ascribed to me I am without hands? without legs? without feet? without breath and without mind. I am ever pure? spotless and immovable and immutable. He will never repent thus I have done a wrong action. I ought to have done like this. I have done an evil action. I will go to hell. He is always wise. He can,never do a wrong action. His will has become one with the cosmic will. His will has become blended with the will of the Lord. Whatever he does is done by the Lord only. He has no will of his own. He sees rightly. Though he kills? he does not commit the act of killing. He is not bound by the fruit of a vicious action as an effect of that act. He is beyond good and evil? beyond the pairs of opposites? as he has knowledge of the Self.An objector says The statement that though he kills these people? he does not kill? is selfcontradictory.We say This objection is really not tenable. From the worldly point of view the Lord says though he kills? because man identifies the Self with the body? etc.? and thinks I am the killer. From the transcendental point of view explained above? the Lord says? He kills not? he is not bound.Another objector says The Self acts in conjunction with the body? etc.? -- He who looks upon his Self Which is isolated? as the agent৷৷. (XVIII.16)We say This objection also cannot stand. As the omnipresent ether is not affected by reason of its subtlety? even so the Self? seated everywhere in the body? is not affected. This immortal? immutable? changeless? formless? attributeless Self? though seated in the body? does not act and is not affected? just as the crystal is not affected by the red colour of the flower that comes into contact with it? just as the sun is not affected by the diseases of the eye. A thing that changes only can join with others and become the agent. The Self is always isolated? independent and free. This Self is immutable (II.25). The alities move amidst the alities (III.28). Though seated in the body? He does not act (XIII.31). Actions are wrought by the alities (III.27). You will find in the Brihadaranyaka were. By reasoning also we may establish the same conclusion thusThe Self is indivisible? allpervading? infinite? limbless? without parts? independent? ever free and immutable. Therefore the actions of the body can never be ascribed to the agency of the Self.Verily the actions of one cannot go to another who has not done them. Just as blue colour cannot belong to the sky? silver to the motherofpearl? water to mirage? so also what is ascribed to the Self by ignorance cannot really belong to It. The changes that occur in the body pertain to the body but not to the pure actionless Self which is always the spectator or the silent witness. Therefore? it is right to say that the wise man who is free from egoism and all impurities of the mind? neither kills nor is he bound though he kills.In chapter II.19? the Lord stated the proposition -- He slayeth not? nor is he slain. In chapter II.20? He said The Self is unborn? eternal? ancient the Self is not slain when the body is killed. The Lord has touched here and there that the Self is not affected by works? that there is no necessity for the wise man of doing actions. He concludes that the sage kills not? nor is he bound? and sums up the teaching of the Gita. The teaching of the Gita has been concluded in this verse. The Sannyasins who are free from egoism are not affected by Karma. The threefold fruits of action? viz.? evil? good and mixed (see verse 12 above) do not accrue to them. Those worldlyminded persons who work with egoism and expectation of fruits are tainted by the works. They are forced to experience the fruits of their actions and to take birth again and again. (Cf.II.19V.7)