सा ब्रह्मेति होवाच ब्रह्मणो वा एतद्विजये महीयध्वमिति
ततो हैव विदाञ्चकार ब्रह्मेति ॥ १॥
sā brahmeti hovāca brahmaṇo vā etadvijaye mahīyadhvamiti
tato haiva vidāñcakāra brahmeti .. 1..
“That yaksha was Brahman,” said She. “It was through the victory of Brahman, indeed, that you achieved this glory.” It was from that (from the words of Umā) that he (Indra) understood that the yaksha was Brahman.
Swami Vivekananda Says —
“Therefore, Arjuna, all these actions are in nature. Nature … is working out her own laws in our bodies and minds. We identify ourselves with nature and say, ‘I am doing this.’ This way delusion seizes us.” We always act under some compulsion. When hunger compels me, I eat. And suffering is still worse — slavery. That real “I” is eternally free. What can compel it to do anything? The sufferer is in nature. It is only when we identify ourselves with the body that we say, “I am suffering; I am Mr. So-and-so” — all such nonsense. But he who has known the truth, holds himself aloof. Whatever his body does, whatever his mind does, he does not care. But mind you, the vast majority of mankind are under this delusion; and whenever they do any good, they feel that they are [the doers].[Source]
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
“A man thinks, ‘I have practised a little prayer and austerity; so I have gained a victory over others.’ But victory and defeat lie with God. I have seen a prostitute dying in the Ganges and retaining consciousness1 to the end.” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
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“A man becomes liberated even in this life when he knows that God is the Doer of all things. Once Keshab came here with Sambhu Mallick. I said to him, ‘Not even a leaf moves except by the will of God.’ Where is man’s free will? All are under the will of God. Nangta was a man of great knowledge, yet even he was about to drown himself in the Ganges. He stayed here eleven months. At one time he suffered from stomach trouble. The excruciating pain made him lose control over himself, and he wanted to drown himself in the river. There was a long shoal near the bathing-ghat. However far he went into the river, he couldn’t find water above his knees. Then he understood everything (He realised that man is not free even to kill himself, that everything depends on the will of the Divine Mother. See) and came back. At one time I was very ill and was about to cut my throat with a knife. Therefore I say: ‘O Mother, I am the machine and Thou art the Operator; I am the chariot and Thou art the Driver. I move as Thou movest me; I do as Thou makest me do.'” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
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- By the qualities of nature, actions are performed in all cases, but one whose mind is deluded by egoism thinks “I am the doer”. (BG 3.27)