Bhagavad Gita 5.13 — The Non-Acting Self Dwelling in the City of Nine Gates
सर्वकर्माणि मनसा संन्यस्यास्ते सुखं वशी ।
नवद्वारे पुरे देही नैव कुर्वन्न कारयन् ॥ ५.१३ ॥
One who has mastered the mind and senses mentally renounces all sense of doership and remains peacefully established within the body, the city of nine gates. Such a person understands that the Self neither performs actions nor causes actions to be performed.
Transliteration (IAST)
Word Separation
The Sanskrit verse is separated into individual words (Padched) for easier study.
Word Meanings
| Line 1 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| sarvakarmāṇi | all actions |
| manasā | mentally |
| sannyasya | having renounced |
| āste | remains |
| sukham | happily |
| vaśī | one who has mastered the mind and senses |
| Line 2 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| navadvāre | in the city of nine gates |
| pure | the body-like city |
| dehī | the embodied soul |
| na | not |
| eva | indeed |
| kurvan | acting |
| na | nor |
| kārayan | causing others to act |
| Line 1 | Line 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning | Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| sarvakarmāṇi | all actions | navadvāre | in the city of nine gates |
| manasā | mentally | pure | the body-like city |
| sannyasya | having renounced | dehī | the embodied soul |
| āste | remains | na | not |
| sukham | happily | eva | indeed |
| vaśī | one who has mastered the mind and senses | kurvan | acting |
| na | nor | ||
| kārayan | causing others to act | ||
Detailed Meaning
Introduction
In this verse, Lord Krishna describes the state of the Self-realized person who has given up the sense of doership and no longer identifies with the body as the true self.
Essence
The mystery of the city with nine gates
Here, Lord Krishna uses a beautiful metaphor to explain the relationship between the body and the Self.
Navadvāre pure: The human body is compared to a city with nine gates. These nine openings serve as the body's points of interaction with the external world.
Dehī: The body is like the city, while the Self is its conscious resident. An ordinary person mistakes the body for the self, whereas the wise know that they merely dwell within the body—they are not the body itself.
Sarvakarmāṇi manasā sannyasya: The renunciation spoken of here is not the abandonment of action, but the renunciation of the sense of doership. The wise understand that Nature carries out all actions according to its own laws.
Āste sukham: Once this understanding becomes firmly established, a person enjoys deep inner peace and contentment. Even amid life's changing circumstances, they remain rooted in their true nature.
Message for our lives
This verse marks an important step toward discovering our true identity.
Knowing the difference between the body and the Self: Many of our fears and anxieties arise because we identify ourselves solely with the body and mind.
Practising witness-consciousness: As we begin to recognize ourselves as the awareness that observes the body and mind, external situations lose much of their power over us. Fear, insecurity, and mental agitation gradually fade away.
This understanding opens the door to profound inner freedom and lasting peace.
Next Topic
If the Self neither acts nor causes others to act, an important question naturally arises: who, then, is responsible for actions and their consequences? In the next verse, Lord Krishna reveals this profound truth.
Hidden Messages In This Shloka
Reflect on this verse from different perspectives and see which deeper message opens up for you.
Wisdom Nuggets
You live in the body, but you are more than the body.
Inner freedom comes from disidentifying with compulsive action.
The witness remains at peace while activities continue.
Master the inner world and the outer world loses its tyranny.
The burden of life lightens when ego stops claiming ownership.
The Self resides in the body without being limited by it.
Real control begins with control over oneself.