Bhagavad-gītā 13.32
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्ययः।शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते।।13.32।।
anāditvān nirguṇatvāt paramātmāyam avyayaḥ śharīra-stho ’pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate
Being without beginning and devoid of Gunas, this Supreme Self, immutable, O son of Kunti, though existing in the body neither acts nor is affected.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| anāditvāt | being without beginning |
| nirguṇatvāt | being devoid of any material qualities |
| parama | the Supreme |
| ātmā | soul |
| ayam | this |
| avyayaḥ | imperishable |
| śharīra-sthaḥ | dwelling in the body |
| api | although |
| kaunteya | Arjun, the the son of Kunti |
| na | neither |
| karoti | acts |
| na | nor |
| lipyate | is tainted |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from anāditvāt (being without beginning), śharīra-sthaḥ (dwelling in the body), and lipyate (is tainted). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the field, its knower and the supreme knower. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 13.32.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Distinguish field, individual knower, Supreme knower, knowledge and knowable while noting this edition’s 35-verse numbering.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Being without beginning and devoid of Gunas, this Supreme Self, immutable, O son of Kunti, though existing in the body neither acts nor is affected
- 2
anāditvāt: being without beginning
- 3
śharīra-sthaḥ: dwelling in the body
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture field and knower.
Link
Use the line starts: anāditvān nirguṇatvāt / śharīra-stho ’pi.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 13.32, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 13.32 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 13.32 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 13.32 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 13.32, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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