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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 Verse 8 (5.8)

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 Verse 8 (5.8)

नैव किञ्चित्करोमीति युक्तो मन्येत तत्त्ववित् । पश्यञ्शृण्वन्स्पृशञ्जिघ्रन्नश्नन्गच्छन्स्वपञ्श्वसन् | | ५-८ | |

naiva kiñchitkaromīti yukto manyeta tattvavit paśhyañśhṛiṇvanspṛiśhañjighrannaśhnangachchhansvapañśhvasan

Word-by-word guide:
Line 1:
  • (na) — मैं कुछ भी नहीं करता(I do nothing at all)
  • iva joined in naiva
  • किन्चित् (kinchit) — मैं कुछ भी नहीं करता(I do nothing at all)
  • करोमि (karomi) — मैं करता हूं(I do nothing at all)
  • ti joined in kiñchitkaromīti
  • युक्तः (yuktah) — योगयुक्त को ऐसा मानना चाहिए(the disciplined one should think)
  • मन्येत (manyeta) — माने(the disciplined one should think)
  • तव-इ (tattva-vit) — तत्त्व(knower of truth)
Line 2:
  • पश्यन् (pashyan) — देखते हुए(seeing, hearing, touching)
  • शृण्वन् (shrinvan) — सुनते हुए(seeing, hearing, touching)
  • स्पृशन् (sprishan) — स्पर्श करते हुए(seeing, hearing, touching)
  • जिघ्रन् (jighran) — सूंघते हुए(smelling, eating, moving)
  • n joined in paśhyañśhṛiṇvanspṛiśhañjighrannaśhnangachchhansvapañśhvasan
  • अश्नन् (ashnan) — खाते हुए(smelling, eating, moving)
  • गच (gacchan) — सूंघते, खाते, चलते हुए(smelling, eating, moving)
  • स्वपन् (svapan) — सोते हुए(sleeping and breathing)
  • श्वसन् (shvasan) — श्वास लेते हुए(sleeping and breathing)

English: Though the saint sees, hears, touches, smells, eats, moves, sleeps and breathes, yet he knows the Truth, and he knows that it is not he who acts.

💡 Commentary Note

A self-realized person understands that the physical body and its senses perform their natural functions automatically. The true Self (Atman) remains a silent, untouched witness of these activities, completely free from the ego-driven feeling of "I am the doer."

Learnings from Shloka 8:
  • Self as the Witness:: Recognize that your true inner identity is the peaceful witness of bodily activities, not the limited physical frame.
  • Dissolve the Doer Ego:: Perform daily functions like eating, walking, and sleeping with the understanding that they are natural bodily processes, reducing self-importance.

Gita/Sanskrit Language Quiz

Practice this shloka vocabulary

Match Sanskrit words from shloka 5.8 with their Hindi and English meanings.

Practice vocabulary