Shankaracharya's commentary, trans. Alladi Mahadeva Sastry (1897)
[1]"The knower of truth, harmonised, thinks: 'I do nothing at all' — while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, sleeping, breathing."
BG 5.8
नैव किञ्चित् करोमीति युक्तो मन्येत तत्त्वविट्। पश्यञ् श्रृण्वन् स्पृशञ् जिघ्रन्नश्नन् गच्छन् स्वपञ् श्वसन्॥५-८॥
naiva kiñcit karomīti yukto manyeta tattva-vit | paśyañ śṛṇvan spṛśañ jighrann aśnan gacchan svapan śvasan || 5.8 ||
"The truth-knower thinks 'I do nothing' while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, sleeping, breathing."
All public-domain translations
6 translations · all pre-1928 or released to public domain · sources
Swami Swarupananda, Srimad Bhagavad Gita (1909)
[4]"'I do nothing at all,' thus would the harmonised knower of Truth think, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing."
Annie Besant & Bhagavan Das, The Bhagavad Gītā (1905)
[5]"'I do nothing at all,' thus he who knows the truth should think, harmonised, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing."
William Quan Judge, The Bhagavad Gita (1890)
[6]"He who knows the truth, being harmonized, thinks: 'I do nothing at all' — though he see, hear, touch, smell, eat, go, sleep, breathe."
Sir Edwin Arnold, The Song Celestial (1885)
[7]"He sees, hears, touches, smells, eats, moves, sleeps, breathes — ever saying in his heart 'I am not doing anything.'"
K.T. Telang, Sacred Books of the East Vol. 8 (1882)
[9]"He who has devotion, and is a knower of the truth, should think 'I do nothing at all', when he sees, hears, touches, smells, eats, moves, sleeps, breathes."