Bhagavad-gītā 3.27
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः। अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताऽहमिति मन्यते।।3.27।।
prakṛiteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśhaḥ ahankāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate
The Gunas of Prakriti perform all action. With the understanding deluded by egoism, man thinks, "I am the doer."
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 |
|---|---|
| prakṛiteḥ | of material nature |
| kriyamāṇāni | carried out |
| guṇaiḥ | by the three modes |
| karmāṇi | activities |
| sarvaśhaḥ | all kinds of |
| ahankāra-vimūḍha-ātmā | those who are bewildered by the ego and misidentify themselves with the body |
| kartā | the doer |
| aham | I |
| iti | thus |
| manyate | thinks |
Use the word map to follow the relation among prakṛiteḥ (of material nature), ahankāra-vimūḍha-ātmā (those who are bewildered by the ego and...), and manyate (thinks). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to work offered without possessiveness. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 3.27.
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 action, duty, sacrifice, example, desire and attachment without treating karma-yoga as inactivity.
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
The Gunas of Prakriti perform all action
- 2
With the understanding deluded by egoism, man thinks, "I am the doer
- 3
prakṛiteḥ: of material nature
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 3.27, 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 3.27 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 3.27 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 3.27 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 3.27, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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