न मे प्रवृत्तिर्न च मे निवृत्तिः सदैकरूपस्य निरंशकस्य । ऐकात्मको यो निबिडो निरन्तरो व्योमेव पूर्णः स कथं नु चेष्टते ॥ ५०३ ॥
na me pravṛttirna ca me nivṛttiḥ sadaikarūpasya niraṃśakasya ; aikātmako yo nibiḍo nirantaro vyomeva pūrṇaḥ sa kathaṃ nu ceṣṭate . 503 .
Anvaya
उपाधिःupādhiḥ
The limiting adjunct (body–mind–complex)
आयातिāyāti
comes
सः एवsaḥ eva
that alone
गच्छतिgacchati
goes
करोतिkaroti
does
कर्माणिkarmāṇi
karma–s
भुङ्क्तेbhuṅkte
experiences the fruit
जीवन्jīvan
living for a while
म्रियतेmriyate
dies
अहंahaṃ
I
सदाsadā
always
कुल–अद्रि–वत् एवkula–adri–vat eva
like the legendary mountain only
संस्थितःsaṃsthitaḥ
I am established
निश्चलःniścalaḥ
motion–less
Translation
For me, who am always change–less and part–less, there is no engagement in action and no withdrawal from it. How can that, which is one alone, homogenous, devoid of distinctions and infinite like space, engage itself in action?
Annotation
In the topic dealing with the transmigration of the jīva (adhikarana 2–3–13), the Brahma Sutras talk about the jīva appearing to adapt to the attributes of the limiting adjunct. Performance of actions is not the property of Atman but it is that of the body–mind–complex. Jīva appears to perform karma because of association with the body–mind–complex. Doership is not the nature of Atman but it is attributed figuratively.