nādatte kasyacit pāpaṁ na caiva sukṛtaṁ vibhuḥ ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ
"The all-pervading Lord takes on neither anyone's sin nor good deed. Knowledge is covered by ignorance; thereby beings are deluded."
What This Means:
God doesn't take responsibility for anyone's sins or good deeds. Why do we suffer then? Because our natural knowledge (of our true Self) is covered by ignorance. This covering deludes all creatures into thinking they're the doer, they're responsible, they're bound.
Going Deeper:
'Vibhu' (the all-pervading) neither accepts sin nor merit—the Self is beyond karma. Then why do beings suffer? 'Ajnanena avritam jnanam' (knowledge covered by ignorance). The Self's natural luminosity is obscured by avidya (ignorance), creating the illusion of a separate ego that acts and reaps consequences. Remove ignorance; knowledge shines; delusion ends.
How To Apply This:
Your suffering isn't punishment and your success isn't reward from God. Both arise from the covering of ignorance over your true knowledge. The path forward isn't to accumulate merit but to remove ignorance. Knowledge, not action, is the ultimate liberator.
Key Sanskrit Terms: