Summary:
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 14: Actions do not affect Ishvara whether understood as Intelligence (Saguna-Brahman) or as Consciousness (Nirguna-Brahman). As intelligent material cause (pariṇāmi-upādāna-kāraṇa), Ishvara remains Intelligence while manifesting all forms – just as binary code remains binary whether displaying text or images, or as the blueprint for “tree” remains unchanged throughout the tree's entire life-cycle from seed to death. Consciousness and Intelligence share a satya-mithya relationship; there is only One reality. Consciousness is vivarta-upadana-karanam – material cause without undergoing change – like gold remaining gold regardless of ornament forms, or H₂O never taking on attributes of wave-ness like tallness or smallness. Ishvara is pūrṇa (complete), so action arising from lack has no place; being the totality, there is nothing outside to gain and no particular body-mind to claim “my action” versus another's.
Since Ishvara's svarupa (Awareness) is your svarupa, this non-doership applies to you. To know Ishvara means understanding that Ishvara manifests as laws and forms operating without bias – never failing to deliver corresponding results of past actions. Work on yourself, become able and willing to contribute, generate future punya, which contributes to knowing Krishna's svarupa as your svarupa.
Verse essence: The Self remains untouched by all actions and their fruits, and one who truly knows this is liberated from bondage.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 14:
न माम् कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्म-फले स्पृहा ।
इति माम् यः अभिजानाति कर्मभिः न स बध्यते ॥ ४-१४॥
na mām karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā ।
iti mām yaḥ abhijānāti karmabhiḥ na sa badhyate ॥ 4-14॥
Actions do not affect Me. There is no longing with reference to the result of action for Me. The one who knows Me clearly in this way is not bound by actions.
“[Your] Actions do not affect Me [Self], nor do I long for specific results”
Whether the word “Me” refers to Ishvara as Intelligence or as it’s svarupa, Consciousness – the statement applies to both:
“Me” interpreted as Intelligence (Ishvara / Saguna-Brahman):
Īśvara is the intelligent material cause (pariṇāmi-upādāna-kāraṇa) that remains Intelligence while manifesting all forms. Just as binary code remains binary whether displaying text or images, Intelligence remains Intelligence while reshuffling into the universe.
Whatever happens at the level of forms (creation, sustenance, dissolution) – doesn't pass onto Intelligence itself. EG: Blueprint/intelligence for “tree” remains blueprint throughout entire life-cycle of tree, from seed to death. If tree is cut in half, it doesn’t cut the blueprint in half.
“Me” interpreted as Consciousness (Nirguna-Brahman):
Word “Me” mentioned by Krishna can also refer to your essential nature – satya-jnanam-anantam – existence which is of nature of awareness which is without a second.
Relationship Between Ishvara (Intelligence) and Brahman (Consciousness):
Satya-Mithya Relationship:
There’s only One reality, Consciousness. There’s no Intelligence and Consciousness. They enjoy a satya-mithya relationship.
Consciousness is without attributes, that why it’s able to apparently manifest as Intelligence, particles, atoms, organs, rocks, etc.
We say “apparently” because though consciousness is the only reality, it doesn't actually become the universe, a tree, a thought, etc. It is vivarta-upadana-karanam, material cause without undergoing any change.
Example is that of gold and ornament. The ornament can take on infinite amount of forms, but the gold (its material cause) always remains gold. Another example of vivarta-upadana-karana is that of H2O which is the substance of every wave – and never takes on the attribute of wave-ness like tallness, smallness, etc. Or a better example is that of the person in bed. Though his presence is the material cause of the entire dream world, no matter what happens in the dream, never changes or affects the person the bed.
In this manner, nothing affects or sticks onto Consciousness because it doesn't take on any attributes.
Movie & Screen Analogy Relationship:
Another metaphorical way to help explain relationship between Ishvara (saguna-brahma) and Brahman (consciousness) is that Iswara is like a changing-movie with special effects.
The movie is in constant flux, but it's always the same RGB light rearranging in countless combinations. Similarly, Ishvara is of the 3 gunas constantly rearranging, giving appearance of forms. Whereas Brahman is like the movie screen, unaffected by the movie.
Pūrṇatva:
Īśvara is pūrṇa (complete and whole), thus how can it get affected. That which is everything and everywhere has no want, no incompleteness to fulfill.
Additionally, action arises from a sense of lack, from wanting to become better or acquire something you don't have. But when you are the totality, what would you gain? Where would you go? Whom would you act upon?
Īśvara has no longing for results because there's nothing outside Īśvara to gain.
Absence of Doership in the Total:
Īśvara being the totality, has no particular body-mind (doer). All actions everywhere are equally Īśvara's manifestation. Thus there's no specific action for Ishvara to claim “my action” versus someone else's.
“The one who knows Me [self] clearly in this way, is not bound by actions”
Since Īśvara’s svarupa (Awareness) is your svarupa – then Ishvara’s non-doership applies to you also.
Awareness (atma) neither performs action nor enjoys results, whether appearing (through its maya-shakti) as samaṣṭi or vyaṣṭ.
Whatever phenomena happens at level of the waves and Ocean – the H₂O molecules are oblivious to the movements. H₂O molecules remain oblivious to whether they appear as waves or ocean.
Another example to understand how consciousness is completely unbound by actions nor their fruits is that of person in the bed from whom entire dream world arises. Whatever punya/papa the dream character acquires, doesn't carry over to the waker in the bed. Similarly, the waker in the bed is again just like the dream character, whose actions have no bearing on “Me” (Self/Atman).
And how to come to know Me (Ishvara’s svarupa)?
First know what Ishvara is and isn’t. Because if everything is Ishvara, you have to be relatively at peace with your surroundings, environment, and people close to you – all who are manifestations of Ishvara. It doesn't make sense to proclaim “all that is here is One without a Second”, and yet unconsciously push away or write off those who cause discomfort in you.
Ishvara manifests as laws and forms. The laws operate on those forms without bias (without compassion or dislike towards you). If causes done by you are damaging, can’t expect rewards, else there would be no measuring-stick what leads to evolution. If Ishvara was lenient towards your negligence even once, you'd lose all trust in Ishvara and live in uncertainty, wondering when else would Ishvara excuse you.
Therefore Ishvara's laws never fail to deliver corresponding results of your past actions. This is illustrated in a fictional story…
The Story of the Musician and the Poor Boy
A young, intelligent student gained admission to Stanford University but lacked the financial means to pay his tuition fees. Rather than giving up, he approached a musician (a pianist) with a creative proposal to raise funds.
The student proposed organizing a concert where the student would organize the event, promote it, and sell tickets to the public. The musician would perform and receive his normal performance fee. The student would keep whatever money remained after paying the musician, using it for his tuition.
The musician agreed to help with this arrangement.
However, just days before the concert, the student discovered he hadn’t sold enough tickets. He realized that after paying the musician’s fee from the ticket proceeds, he would have almost nothing left for his tuition. Distressed, he explained the situation to the musician’s manager.
When the manager informed the musician of the problem, the musician made a selfless decision: he waived his entire performance fee, allowing the student to keep all the concert proceeds for his education. The grateful student was able to attend Stanford.
Twenty-five to thirty years later, the musician had become the President of Poland. After World War II, Poland faced a devastating drought, and people were suffering and dying. The Polish president reached out to the President of the United States for assistance. America sent substantial food aid and support, saving Poland from catastrophic suffering.
Feeling immense gratitude, the President of Poland travelled to the United States to personally thank the American president. During their meeting, the American president said, “You don’t have to thank me – I have to thank YOU.”
Confused, the Polish president asked why. The American president then revealed: “I am that boy you helped go to Stanford.”
Story shows:
God doesn’t reward you. You reward yourself: The story show how the universe operates according to impersonal, unbiased laws of cause and effect. The musician’s action created a cause that returned as an effect 25-30 years later – not as a personal favor from God, but as the natural operation of law.
Actively reaching out: The story demonstrates that spiritual evolution is actively reaching out and helping in those areas not related to your profession. Musician’s act of kindness had exponentially far-reaching effects.
Your contributions touch many lives unknowingly: One small gesture of generosity touched one life, but that life eventually impacted an entire nation.
SUMMARY: Work on yourself → able/willing to contributor → generates future punya → come to know Krishna’s svarupa as your svarupa.
NEXT VERSE: Arjuna is reminded, to gain knowledge of self, he/she needs to engage in actions to uncover outdated thinking patterns…
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Course was based on Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya) home study course.
Recorded 25 Jan, 2026