Verse1: kartur agyaya prapyathe phalam. karma kim param? karma tat jadam.

Meaning of the words.

kartur: The ordainer of results. God.
agyaya: as per His orders.
prapyathe phalam: The results are obtained.
karma : the actions
kim param : Are they supreme ? [Meaning is the law of karma the ultimate ? Who is the one who makes it happen then? ]
karma tat jadam: Actions are jadam, dead lifeless entities.

English translation of Verse 1:

“Action is insentient. Action is not the ultimate reality so action per se has no ability to confer the fruit of action. Fruit of action occurs according to the whim of the ultimate reality which is usually called God.”

Comments by Dr. Raju:

In his classic work Upadesa Saram (Spiritual Instructions) Bhagavan is questioning the idea of doership in the first verse itself. Bhagawan explains in the first verse why the individual performing the action is not the doer. Continue reading →