Geeta Aahoran

April 27, 2026

K SIVA PRASAD
Retired senior IAS officer in
the Punjab Government.

Prisoner of Assumptions Sri Krishna says, “Those who are deeply fascinated by the modes of nature remain attached to the modes and actions; let the fully knowing one not disturb those dull-witted ignorant people who do not fully understand” (3.29).
Besides being the real doers, qualities have the ability to hypnotize and cast a spell on us, making us forget our true nature. We remain mesmerized until we realize we are under a spell.

Sri Krishna speaks of the ignorant and the wise. The ignorant, under the spell of gunas or maya, believe they are the doer (3.27). The ignorant desire to acquire things, to be important, to be recognized, and to fight for rights. Furthermore, they consider others in the family, workplace, and society to be doers and expect them to behave according to their expectations. When this does not happen, they are tormented by guilt, regret, anger, and sorrow.The second stage of awareness is that awareness arises after an event has occurred, which may be moments, years, decades, or even a lifetime.

These events may be the words we speak, the desires we hold, the decisions we make, or the actions we perform, all of which are caused by qualities within us.The third stage of awareness is to understand in the present moment that the qualities interact with the qualities and that we are not the doers (3.27). This is the art of joyful observation.Even the ignorant will eventually reach a state of awareness according to their own dharma, and therefore, Sri Krishna advises the wise to wait without disturbing the ignorant. We all have many conceptions about the world we live in, and the ignorant are prisoners of these conceptions. It is wise to dispel these conceptions accumulated throughout life. (Continued)