kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāva (gītā 2.7)

Prior to the true beginning of the bhagavad-gītā (2.11), arjuna starts his concluding arguments, which show him immersed in the ocean of śoka (sorrow) and moha (delusion). He describes himself as follows:

kārpaṇyadoṣopahatasvabhāvaḥ (2.7)

Most modern commentators translate this along the lines of “My heart contaminated by the taint of helplessness”. However, there is much more to this. Based on śruti, kārpaṇya actually means ajñatvam, or anātmādhyāsavattvam, i.e. the superimposition of the non-self on the self. This is what leads to helplessness.

yo vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgi aviditvā asmāt lokāt praiti, sa kṛpaṇaḥ (bṛhadāraṇyaka 3.8.10)

śaṁkarānanda takes this furthur in the tātparya-bodhinī by cleverly splitting up the word svabhāva into sva +bhāva (sattā) --

kārpaṇyam ajñatvam ajñānam. tamaḥpradhānatvād vastusvarūpaṁ dūṣayati iti. tadeva doṣaḥ. tena upahataḥ tirohitaḥ svasya avikriyasya pratyagātmanaḥ bhāvaḥ sattā yasya saḥ.

i.e. the taint, or doṣa is ignorance itself. Because of this taint, the average person incorrectly superimposes and hence contaminates his own (sva) underlying ātmā, which is actually of the nature of true existence (bhāvaḥ). This is a truly inspired understanding.