Bhagavad-gītā 5.15
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः। अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः।।5.15।।
nādatte kasyachit pāpaṁ na chaiva sukṛitaṁ vibhuḥ ajñānenāvṛitaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ
The Omnipresent takes note of the merit or demerit of none. Knowledge is enveloped in ignorance, hence do beings get deluded.
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 |
|---|---|
| na | not |
| ādatte | accepts |
| kasyachit | anyone’s |
| pāpam | sin |
| na | not |
| cha | and |
| eva | certainly |
| su-kṛitam | virtuous deeds |
| vibhuḥ | the omnipresent God |
| ajñānena | by ignorance |
| āvṛitam | covered |
| jñānam | knowledge |
| tena | by that |
| muhyanti | are deluded |
| jantavaḥ | the living entities |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through na (not), su-kṛitam (virtuous deeds), and jantavaḥ (the living entities). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to renunciation within responsible work. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 5.15.
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: Compare renunciation of work with renunciation of attachment and examine the chapter’s account of inner freedom.
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 Omnipresent takes note of the merit or demerit of none
- 2
Knowledge is enveloped in ignorance, hence do beings get deluded
- 3
na: not
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
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Link
Use the line starts: nādatte kasyachit / ajñānenāvṛitaṁ jñānaṁ.
Cover
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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 5.15, 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 5.15 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 5.15 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 5.15 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.15, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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