3.27
प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः | अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते ||२७||
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśhaḥ ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate
Translation
The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself to be the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.
Interpretation
The fundamental delusion of ego: 'I am the doer.' In reality, all actions are performed by the gunas of Prakriti (the three qualities of nature operating through the body and mind). The soul is not the actor — it is the witness. The false ego's claim of authorship is the root of both pride (in success) and guilt (in failure).