Chapter 17
नैवात्मा न परश्चापि कर्ता स्यात् सुखदु:खयो: । कर्तारं मन्यतेऽत्राज्ञ आत्मानं परमेव च ॥ १९ ॥
Transliteration
naivātmā na paraś cāpi kartā syāt sukha-duḥkhayoḥ kartāraṁ manyate ’trājña ātmānaṁ param eva ca
Synonyms (Word-for-Word)
na — not; eva — indeed; ātmā — the spirit soul; na — nor; paraḥ — another (friend or enemy); ca — also; api — indeed; kartā — the doer; syāt — can be; sukha-duḥkhayoḥ — of happiness and distress; kartāram — the doer; manyate — considers; atra — in this connection; ajñaḥ — a person not aware of the real fact; ātmānam — himself; param — another; eva — indeed; ca — also.
Translation
“In this material world, neither the living entity himself nor others [friends and enemies] are the cause of material happiness and distress. But because of gross ignorance, the living entity thinks that he and others are the cause.”