BHAGAVAD-GITA 2:13

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 2:13

 

dehino 'smin yatha dehe

kaumaram yauvanam jara

tatha dehantara-praptir

dhiras tatra na muhyati

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

dehinah--of the embodied; asmin--in this; yatha--as; dehe--in the

body; kaumaram--boyhood; yauvanam--youth; jara--old age;

tatha--similarly; deha-antara--of transference of the body;

praptih--achievement; dhirah--the sober; tatra--thereupon; na--never;

muhyati--is deluded.

 

TRANSLATION

 

As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood

to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at

death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.

 

PURPORT

 

Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his

body every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a

youth, and sometimes as an old man. Yet the same spirit soul is there

and does not undergo any change. This individual soul finally changes

the body at death and transmigrates to another body; and since it is

sure to have another body in the next birth--either material or

spiritual--there was no cause for lamentation by Arjuna on account of

death, neither for Bhisma nor for Drona, for whom he was so much

concerned. Rather, he should rejoice for their changing bodies from

old to new ones, thereby rejuvenating their energy. Such changes of

body account for varieties of enjoyment or suffering, according to

one's work in life. So Bhisma and Drona, being noble souls, were

surely going to have spiritual bodies in the next life, or at least

life in heavenly bodies for superior enjoyment of material existence.

So, in either case, there was no cause of lamentation.

 

Any man who has perfect knowledge of the constitution of the

individual soul, the Supersoul, and nature--both material and

spiritual--is called a dhira, or a most sober man. Such a man is never

deluded by the change of bodies.

 

The Mayavadi theory of oneness of the spirit soul cannot be

entertained, on the ground that the spirit soul cannot be cut into

pieces as a fragmental portion. Such cutting into different individual

souls would make the Supreme cleavable or changeable, against the

principle of the Supreme Soul's being unchangeable. As confirmed in

the Gita, the fragmental portions of the Supreme exist eternally

(sanatana) and are called ksara; that is, they have a tendency to fall

down into material nature. These fragmental portions are eternally so,

and even after liberation the individual soul remains the

same--fragmental. But once liberated, he lives an eternal life in

bliss and knowledge with the Personality of Godhead. The theory of

reflection can be applied to the Supersoul, who is present in each and

every individual body and is known as the Paramatma. He is different

from the individual living entity. When the sky is reflected in water,

the reflections represent both the sun and the moon and the stars

also. The stars can be compared to the living entities and the sun or

the moon to the Supreme Lord. The individual fragmental spirit soul is

represented by Arjuna, and the Supreme Soul is the Personality of

Godhead Sri Krsna. They are not on the same level, as it will be

apparent in the beginning of the Fourth Chapter. If Arjuna is on the

same level with Krsna, and Krsna is not superior to Arjuna, then their

relationship of instructor and instructed becomes meaningless. If both

of them are deluded by the illusory energy (maya), then there is no

need of one being the instructor and the other the instructed. Such

instruction would be useless because, in the clutches of maya, no one

can be an authoritative instructor. Under the circumstances, it is

admitted that Lord Krsna is the Supreme Lord, superior in position to

the living entity, Arjuna, who is a forgotten soul deluded by maya.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.