Sanskrit
उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम् । विमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति पश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुषः ॥
utkrāmantaṃ sthitaṃ vāpi bhuñjānaṃ vā guṇānvitam vimūḍhā nānupaśyanti paśyanti jñānacakṣuṣaḥ
Translation
The deluded do not perceive (Him) when He departeth or stayeth or enjoyeth, swayed by the qualities; the wisdom-eyed perceive.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The tree metaphor and the jiva metaphor now converge on a single diagnostic question: can you actually perceive the self moving through its bodies, enjoying its objects, governed by the gunas? Most people, the verse says bluntly, cannot — they are vimūḍhāḥ, deluded — while those with “the eye of wisdom” (jñāna-cakṣuṣaḥ) do see it. The phrase recalls Arjuna’s request in chapter 11 for a divine eye to see Krishna’s cosmic form, which suggests perception itself, not just conduct, is being treated here as the real dividing line between bondage and freedom. The self at every stage — leaving, staying, enjoying — is invisible to the vimūḍha and visible to the jñāna-cakṣuṣ, the eye of wisdom (the same phrase as BG 13.34). What differs is not the self but the seeing.
Study deeper
Word by word
- utkrāmantaṃ sthitaṃ vāpiउत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि
- [the self] departing, or abiding (utkrāmantam + sthitam + vā + api)
- bhuñjānaṃ vā guṇānvitamभुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितं
- or experiencing, joined with the guṇas (bhuñjānam + vā + guṇa-anvitam)
- vimūḍhā nānupaśyantiविमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति
- the deluded do not perceive [it] (vimūḍhāḥ + na + anupaśyanti)
- paśyanti jñānacakṣuṣaḥपश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुषः
- those with the eye of wisdom see (paśyanti + jñāna-cakṣuṣaḥ)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The phrase “eye of wisdom” pulls the reader back to Arjuna’s request in chapter 11 for a divine eye to see Krishna’s cosmic form — and the echo suggests perception itself, not conduct, is the real dividing line the chapter is drawing. Most people aren’t described as behaving wrongly, they’re described as unable to see; the fix implied is a change in what you can perceive, not simply an increase in effort or virtue.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you keep repeating a pattern despite genuinely good intentions, consider that the gap might be perception, not willpower — you may not actually be seeing what's happening in the moment clearly enough to act differently. Train the seeing before doubling down on effort.
Professional
- A team's recurring failure sometimes isn't a conduct or effort problem — it's that nobody can actually see the signal that would tell them what's going wrong. Invest in visibility and instrumentation before assuming the fix is more discipline or harder work.
Family & Social
- Repeated friction with someone close to you sometimes isn't about trying harder — it's that you genuinely aren't perceiving what they're experiencing. Invest in actually seeing their situation clearly before assuming the answer is more effort on your part.
Ask yourself
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