BhG 18.17

syntax

yasya (he whose) ahaṁ-kṛtaḥ bhāvaḥ (nature made of ‘I’) na [asti] (it is not),
yasya (whose) buddhiḥ (intelligence) na lipyate (it is not smeared),
saḥ (he) imān lokān (these people) hatvā api (even after killing) na hanti (he does not kill) [tena] (therefore) na nibadhyate (he is not bound).

grammar

yasya	–	yat sn. 6n.1 m. – he whose;
na	–	av. – not;
ahaṁ-kṛtaḥ	–	ahaṁ-kṛta 1n.1 m. – made of ‘I’ (from: aham – I; √kṛ – to do, PP kṛta – done, made);
bhāvaḥ	–	bhāva 1n.1 m. – state, existence, nature, emotions (from: √bhū – to be);
buddhiḥ	–	buddhi 1n.1 f. – intelligence, thought, understanding, knowledge, idea, opinion (from: √budh – to wake, to perceive, to understand);
yasya	–	yat sn. 6n.1 m. – he whose;
na	–	av. – not;
lipyate	–	√lip (to smear, to anoint, to stain, to stick) Praes. pass. 1v.1 – it is stained, it is smeared;
hatvā	–	√han (to kill) absol. – after killing;
api	–	av. – although, moreover, besides, even;
saḥ	–	tat sn. 1n.1 m. – he;
imān	–	idam sn. 2n.3 m. – these;
lokān	–	loka 2n.3 m. – worlds, people;
na	–	av. – not;
hanti	–	√han (to kill, to strike, to beat) Praes. P 1v.1 – he kills;
na	–	av. – not;
nibadhyate	–	ni-√bandh (to bind, to fetter) Praes. pass 1v.1 – he is bound;

textual variants

nāhaṁ-kṛto → nāhaṁ-kṛte (not in one made of ‘I’);
buddhir yasya → yasya buddhir (whose intelligence);
hatvā → kṛtvā / hivtā (after doing / after hitting);
na hanti na nibadhyate → na nihaṁti na badyate (he does not kill, he is not bound);

Śāṃkara

kaḥ punaḥ sumatiḥ ? yaḥ samyak paśyatīty ucyate—
yasya śāstrācāryopadeśa-nyāya-saṃskṛtātmano na bhavaty ahaṃkṛto’haṃ kartā ity evaṃ-lakṣaṇo bhāvo bhāvanā pratyayaḥ | eta eva pañcādhiṣṭhānādayo’vidyayātmani kalpitāḥ sarva-karmaṇāṃ kartāraḥ, nāham | ahaṃ tu tad-vyāpārāṇāṃ sākṣi-bhūtaḥ | aprāṇo hy amanāḥ śubhro hy akṣarāt parataḥ paraḥ kevalo’vikriya [mu.u. 2.1.2] ity evaṃ paśyatīti etat | buddhir antaḥ-karaṇaṃ yasya ātmana upādhi-bhūtā na lipyate nānuśayinī bhavati—idam aham akārṣam, tenāhaṃ narakaṃ gamiṣyāmīty evaṃ yasya buddhir na lipyate—sa sumatiḥ, sa paśyati | hatvāpi sa imān lokān, sarvān imān prāṇinaḥ ity arthaḥ, na hanti hanana-kriyāṃ na karoti, na nibadhyate nāpi tat-kāryeṇādharma-phalena sambadhyate |

nanu hatvāpi na hantīti vipratiṣiddham ucyate yady api stutiḥ | naiṣa doṣaḥ | laukika-pāramārthika-dṛṣṭy-apekṣayā tad-upapatteḥ | dehādy-ātma-buddhyā hantāham iti laukikīṃ dṛṣṭim āśritya hatvāpīty āha | yathā-darśitāṃ pāramārthikīṃ dṛṣṭim āśritya na hanti na nibadhyata iti | etad ubhayam upapadyata eva |

nanv adhiṣṭhānādibhiḥ sambhūya karoty evātmā | kartāram ātmānaṃ kevalaṃ tv [gītā 18.16] iti kevala-śabda-prayogāt | naiṣa doṣaḥ | ātmano’vikriya-svabhāvatve’dhiṣṭhānādibhiḥ saṃhatatvānupapatteḥ | vikriyāvato hy anyaiḥ saṃhananaṃ sambhavati, saṃhatya vā kartṛtvaṃ syāt | na tv avikriyasyātmanaḥ kenacit saṃhananam astīti na sambhūya kartṛtvam upapadyate | ataḥ kevalatvam ātmanaḥ svābhāvikam iti kevala-śabdo’nuvāda-mātram |

avikriyatvaṃ cātmanaḥ śruti-smṛti-nyāya-prasiddham | avikāryo’yam ucyate [gītā 2.15] guṇair eva karmāṇi kriyante [gītā 3.27] śarīra-stho’pi na karotīty [gītā 13.31] ādy asakṛd upapāditaṃ gītāsv eva tāvat | śrutiṣu ca dhyāyatīva lelāyatīva [bhāvāū 4.3.7] ity evam ādyāsu | nyāyataś ca niravayavam aparatantram avikriyam ātma-tattvam iti rāja-mārgaḥ | vikriyāvattvābhyupagame’py ātmanaḥ svakīyaiva vikriyā svasya bhavitum arhati, nādhiṣṭhānādīnāṃ karmāṇy ātma-kartṛkāṇi syuḥ | na hi parasya karma pareṇākṛtam āgantum arhati |

yat tv avidyayā gamitam, na tat tasya | yathā rajatatvaṃ na śuktikāyāḥ | yathā vā tala-malinatvaṃ bālair gamitam avidyayā, nākāśasya, tathādhiṣṭhānādi-vikriyāpi teṣām eva, nātmanaḥ | tasmād yuktam uktam ahaṃkṛtatva-buddhi-lepābhāvād vidvān na hanti vā nibadhyata iti | nāyaṃ hanti vā hanyate [gītā 2.19] iti pratijñāya na jāyate [gītā 2.20] ity ādi-hetu-vacanenāvikriyatvam ātmana uktvā, vedāvināśinaṃ [gītā 2.21] iti viduṣaḥ karmādhikāra-nivṛttiṃ śāstrādau saṃkṣepata uktvā, madhye prasāritāṃ tatra tatra prasaṅgaṃ kṛtveha upasaṃharati śāstrārtha-piṇḍīkaraṇāya vidvān na hanti na nibadhyate iti |

evaṃ ca sati deha-bhṛttvābhimānānupapattau avidyā-kṛtāśeṣa-karma-saṃnyāsopapatteḥ saṃnyāsinām aniṣṭādi tri-vidhaṃ karmaṇaḥ phalaṃ na bhavati [gītā 18.12] ity upapannam | tad-viparyayāc cetareṣāṃ bhavatīty etac cāparihāryam ity eṣa gītā-śāstrārtha upasaṃhṛtaḥ | sa eṣa sarva-vedārtha-sāro nipuṇa-matibhiḥ paṇḍitair vicārya pratipattavya iti tatra tatra prakaraṇa-vibhāgena darśito’smābhiḥ śāstra-nyāyānusāreṇa

Rāmānuja

paramapuruṣakartṛtvānusaṃdhānena yasya bhāvaḥ kartṛtvaviṣayo manovṛttiviśeṣaḥ nāhaṃkṛtaḥ nāhamabhimānakṛtaḥ / ahaṃ karomīti jñānaṃ yasya na vidyata ityarthaḥ / buddhir yasya na lipyate asmin karmaṇi mama kartṛtvābhāvād etatphalaṃ na mayā saṃbadhyate, na ca madīyaṃ karmeti yasya buddhir jāyata ityarthaḥ / sa imān lokān yuddhe hatvāpi tān na nihanti; na kevalaṃ bhīṣmādīn ityarthaḥ / tatas tena yuddhākhyena karmaṇā na nibadhyate / tatphalaṃ nānubhavatītyarthaḥ

Śrīdhara

kas tarhi sumatir yasya karma-lepo nāstīty uktam ity apekṣāyām āha – yasyeti | aham iti kṛto ‚haṃ kartā ity evambhūto bhāvaḥ | yad vā ahaṅkṛto ‚haṅkārasya bhāvaḥ svabhāvaḥ | kartṛtvābhiniveśo yasya nāsti | śarīrādīnām eva karma-kartṛtvālocanād ity arthaḥ | ataeva yasya buddhir na lipyate iṣṭāniṣṭa-buddhyā karmasu na sajjate | na evambhūto dehādi-vyatiriktātma-darśī imān lokān sarvān api prāṇino loka-dṛṣṭyā hatvāpi viviktatayā sva-dṛṣṭyā na hanti, na tat-phalair nibadhyate bandhaṃ na prāpnoti | kiṃ punaḥ sattva-śuddhi-dvārā parokṣa-jñānotpatti-hetubhiḥ karmabhis tasya baddha-śaṅkety arthaḥ | tad uktaṃ – brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ | lipyate na sa pāpena padma-patram ivāmbhasā || (Gītā 5.10)

Viśvanātha

kas tarhi sumatiś cakṣuṣmān ity ata āha yasyeti | ahaṅkṛto ahaṅkārasya bhāvaḥ svabhāvaḥ kartṛtvābhiniveśo yasya nāsti ataeva yasya buddhir na lipyate iṣṭāniṣṭa-buddhyā karmasu nāsajjati, sa hi karma-phalaṃ na prāpnotīti kiṃ kartavyam | sa hi karma bhadrābhadraṃ kurvann api naiva karotīty āha hatvāpīti, sa imān sarvān api prāṇino loka-dṛṣṭyā hatvāpi sva-dṛṣṭyā naiva hanti | nirabhisandhitvād iti bhāvaḥ | ato na badhyate karma-phalaṃ na prāpnotīti |

Baladeva

kas tarhi cakṣuṣmān sumatis tatrāha yasyeti | yasya puruṣasya manovṛtti-lakṣaṇo bhāvo nāhaṅkṛtaḥ sva-kartṛtve pareśāyatte ‚nusandhite sati karmāṇy aham eva karomīty abhimāna-kṛto na bhavet | yasya ca buddhir na lipyate karma-phala-spṛhayā, sa imāṅl lokān na kevalaṃ bhīṣmādīn hatvāpi na hanti, na ca tena sarva-loka-hananena karmaṇā nibadhyate lipyate |