Bhagavad-gita As It Is [Ch. 2] Text 22-23

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Bhagavad-gita As It Is [Ch. 2] Text 22-23

 

Contents of the Gita Summarized

 

Text 22

 

vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya

navani grhnati naro `parani

tat ha sarirani vihaya jirnany

anyani samyati navani dehi

 

vasamsi—garments; jirnani—old and worn out; yatha—as it is; vihaya—

giving up; navani—new garments; grhnati—does accept; narah—a man;

aparani—other; tatha—in the same way; sarirani—bodies; vihaya—giving

up; jirani—old and useless; anyani—different; samyati—verily accepts;

navani—new sets; dehi—the embodied.

 

TRANSLATION

 

As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the

soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.

 

PURPORT

 

Change of body by the atomic individual soul is an accepted fact.

Even some of the modern scientists who do not believe in the

existence of the soul, but at the same time cannot explain the source

of energy from the heart, have to accept continuous changes of body

which appear from childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to youth and

again from youth to old age. From old age, the change is transferred

to another body. This has already been explained in the previous

verse.

Transference of the atomic individual soul to another body is made

possible by the grace of the Supersoul. The Supersoul fulfills the

desire of the atomic soul as one friend fulfills the desire of

another. The Vedas, like the Mundaka Upanisad, as well as the

Svetasvatara Upanisad, compare the soul and the Supersoul to two

friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds (the

individual atomic soul) is eating the fruit of the tree, and the

other bird (Krsna) is simply watching His friend. Of these two birds—

although they are the same in quality—one is captivated by the fruits

of the material tree, while the other is simply witnessing the

activities of His friend. Krsna is the witnessing bird, and Arjuna is

the eating bird. Although they are friends, one is still the master

and the other is the servant. Forgetfulness of this relationship by

the atomic soul is the cause of one's changing his position from one

tree to another or from one body to another. The jiva soul is

struggling very hard on the tree of the material body, but as soon as

he agrees to accept the other bird as the supreme spiritual master—as

Arjuna agreed to do by voluntary surrender unto Krsna for instruction—

the subordinate bird immediately becomes free from all lamentations.

Both the Katha Upanisad and Svetasvatara Upanisad confirm this:

 

samane vrkse puruso nimagno

nisaya socati muhyamanah

justam yada pasyaty anyam isam asya

mahimanam iti vita-sokah

 

"Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is

fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the

fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to

his friend who is the Lord and knows His glories—at once `the

suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties." Arjuna has now

turned his face towards his eternal friend, Krsna and is

understanding the Bhagavad-gita from Him. And thus, hear­ing from

Krsna he can understand the supreme glories of the Lord and be free

from lamentation.

Arjuna is advised herewith by the Lord not to lament for the bodily

change of his old grandfather and his teacher. He should rather be

happy to kill their bodies in the righteous fight so that they may be

cleansed at once of all reactions from various bodily activities. One

who lays down his life on the sacrificial altar, or in the proper

battlefield, is at once cleansed of bodily reactions and promoted to

a higher status of life. So there was no cause for Arjuna's

lamentation.

 

 

TEXT 23

 

 

nainam chindanti sastrani

nainam dahati pavakah

na cainam kledayanty apo

na sosayati marutah

 

na—never; enam—unto this soul; chindanti—can cut into pieces; sastrani

—all weapons; na—never; enam—unto this soul; daha ti—burns; pavakah —

fire; na—never; ca—also; enam—unto this soul; kledayanti—moistens;

apah

—water; na—never; sosayati— dries; maru tah—wind.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be

burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.

 

PURPORT

 

All kinds of weapons, swords, flames, rains, tornadoes, etc., are

unable to kill the spirit soul. It appears that there were many kinds

of weapons made of earth, water, air, ether, etc., in addition to the

modern weapons of fire. Even the nuclear weapons of the modern age

are classified as fire weapons, but formerly there were other weapons

made of all different types of material elements. Firearms were

counteracted by water weapons, which are now unknown to modern

science. Nor do modern scientists have knowledge of tornado weapons.

Nonetheless, the soul can never be cut into pieces, nor annihilated

by any number of weapons, regardless of scientific devices.

Nor was it ever possible to cut the individual souls from the

original Soul. The Mayavadi however, cannot describe how the

individual soul evolved from ignorance and consequently became

covered by illusory energy. Because they are atomic individual souls

(sanatana) eternally, they arc prone to be covered by the illusory

energy, and thus they become separated from the association of the

Supreme Lord, just as the sparks of the fire, although one in quality

with the fire, are prone to be extinguished when out of the fire. In

the Varaha Purana, the living entities are described as separated

parts and parcels of the Supreme. They are eternally so, according to

the Bhagavad-gita also. So, even after being liberated from illusion,

the living entity remains a separate identity, as is evident from the

teachings of the Lord to Arjuna. Arjuna became liberated by the

knowledge received from Krsna, but he never became one with Krsna

 

All Translations are done by

His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

Taken From The Original Unchanged 1972 Collier Macmillan Edition

Bhagavad Gita As it Is ----BY SRILA PRABHUPADA

 

 

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