Shloka

नैव किञ्चित्करोमीति युक्तो मन्येत तत्त्ववित् |
पश्यञ्शृण्वन्स्पृशञ्जिघ्रन्नश्नन्गच्छन्स्वपञ्श्वसन् ||५-८||

Transliteration

naiva kiñcitkaromīti yukto manyeta tattvavit .
paśyañśruṇvanspṛśañjighrannaśnangacchansvapañśvasan ||5-8||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

5.8. A master of Yoga, knowing the reality would think ‘I do not perform any action at all’. For, he who, while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping and breathing;

Shri Purohit Swami

5.8 Though the saint sees, hears, touches, smells, eats, moves, sleeps and breathes, yet he knows the Truth, and he knows that it is not he who acts.

Sri Abhinav Gupta

5.8 See Comment under 5.11

Sri Ramanuja

5.8 - 5.9 Thus he who knows the truth concerning the self should reflect in mind that the ear and the other organs of sensation (Jnanendriyas) as also organs of action (Karmendriyas) and the vital currents (the Pranas) are occupied with their own respective objects. Thus he should know, ‘I do not do anything at all.’ He should reflect, ‘My intrinsic nature is one of knowledge. The sense of agency comes because of the association of the self with the senses and the Pranas which are rooted in Karma. It does not spring from my essential nature.’

Sri Shankaracharya

5.8 Yuktah, remaining absorbed in the Self; tattva-vit, the knower of Reality-knower of the real nature of Truth, of the Self, i.e., the seer of the supreme Reality; manyeta, should think; ’na karomi eva, I certainly do not do; kincit, anything.’ Having realized the Truth, when or how should he think? This is being answered; Api, even; pasyan, while seeing; srnvan, hearing; sprsan, touching; jighran, smelling; asnan, eating; gacchan, moving; svapan, sleeping; svasan, breathing; pralapan, speaking; visrjan, releasing; grhnan, holding; unmisan, opening; nimisan, closing the eyes. All these are to be connected with the above manyeta (should think). For the man who has known the Truth thus, who finds nothing but inaction in action-in all the movements of the body and organs-, and who has full realization, there is competence only for giving up all actions because of his realization of the nonexistence of actions. Indeed, one who proceeds to drink water in a mirage thinking that water is there, surely does not go there itself for drinking water even after knowing that no water exists there!

Swami Adidevananda

5.8 The knower of the truth, who is devoted to Yoga should think, ‘I do not at all do anything’ even though he is seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, sleeping, breathing;

Swami Gambirananda

5.8-5.9 Remaining absorbed in the Self, the knower of Reality should think, ‘I certainly do not do anything’, even while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, sleeping, breathing, speaking, releasing, holding, opening and closing the eyes-remembering that the organs function in relation to the objects of the organs.

Swami Sivananda

5.8 “I do nothing at all,” thus would the harmonised knower of Truth think seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing.

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

5.8 न not? एव even? किञ्चित् anything? करोमि I do? इति thus? युक्तः centred (in the Self)? मन्येत should think? तत्त्ववित् the knower of Truth? पश्यन् seeing? श्रृण्वन् hearing? स्पृशन् touching? जिघ्रन् smelling? अश्नन् eating? गच्छन् going? स्वपन् sleeping? श्वसन् breathing.No Commentary.