Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 3 · Verse 27
BG 3.27
All actions are performed by the gunas of nature. But the ego-deluded person thinks 'I am the doer.'
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ | ahaṅkāravimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate ||
Sanskrit / Transliteration
TRANSLATION
The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by nature.
EXPLANATION
This is the Gita's teaching on ego and action. The gunas (qualities of nature) drive all action — we are instruments, not ultimate causes. When we claim 'I did this', we create ego. When we release that claim, action becomes clean, light, and free from anxiety.