Egoic doership is poor seeing.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः |पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः ||१८-१६||
tatraivaṃ sati kartāramātmānaṃ kevalaṃ tu yaḥ . paśyatyakṛtabuddhitvānna sa paśyati durmatiḥ ||18-16||
Use this verse when ego claims sole credit.
Meaning
Therefore, one who, due to untrained understanding, sees the self alone as the doer does not truly see and has poor understanding.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Thinking I alone am the doer is incomplete understanding.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna points directly at egoic doership. When a person ignores the five causes and claims absolute ownership, their understanding is immature.
Read the traditional commentary
Having named the five factors of action, Krishna draws the sharp conclusion. The person who, with an untrained mind, sees the pure Self (atman) as the kevala karta, the sole and absolute doer, simply does not see reality at all. Such a one is durmati, of distorted understanding.
This is a profound correction of the ego's basic illusion. The unchanging Self does not act; action belongs to the field of body, senses, and gunas. To imagine 'I alone do everything' is to confuse the witness with the instrument. Right seeing dissolves both arrogant pride and crushing guilt, for it locates agency where it truly lies and frees the inner Self from the burden of doership.
In daily life
Replace I alone did this with many causes supported this action.
A CEO taking all credit for a team outcome is failing to see the full causes of action.
Try this today
Thank at least one cause or person beyond yourself.
I release egoic doership and see clearly.Reflect
Where am I claiming too much doership?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘दुर्मतिः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on self knowledge, in other chapters
- Verse 13.6Even your ego and intellect are parts of the observable field, not the awareness that watches them.
- Verse 15.5Inner freedom from pride, craving, and the swing of pleasure and pain leads to the imperishable state.
- Verse 16.4Pride, anger, and pretense are not random faults but the predictable fruit of spiritual ignorance and self-absorption.
- Verse 2.20The soul — your deepest nature — was never born and will never die. Death is a transition for the body, not the end of consciousness.
Swipe left for 18.17 · Ego-free dharmic action does not bind like selfish action.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.16
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.16, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.16, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.16 mean?
Therefore, one who, due to untrained understanding, sees the self alone as the doer does not truly see and has poor understanding. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.16 for daily life?
Replace I alone did this with many causes supported this action. A CEO taking all credit for a team outcome is failing to see the full causes of action.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.16 mean?
तत्र एवं सति — such being the case; कर्तारम् — as the agent / doer; आत्मानम् — the Self; केवलं — the absolute / isolated; तु यः पश्यति — but he who sees.
Where does verse 18.16 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 16 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.17.