Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter2

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23.nainam Chindhanthi Sasthraani nainam dhahathi paavakaH

na cha enam kledhayanthi aapah na Soshayathi maaruthaH

 

The weapons do not destroy the self. The fire does not burn it, the waters do not wet it nor the wind dries it.

 

Anything that is created and the product of the four elements can be destroyed or modified. The four elements , earth, water, fire and air cannot destroy the self . The Sasthra denotes the earth element , meaning the weapons which is the grossest form of destruction. Anything that has a body has earth as its component and can be cut by the weapons. But the self has no body being subtler than the earth. . Similarly the fire cannot burn anything subtler than it like air or space. Athman is subtler than both air and space. Water can wet only a thing which has space in between so that the water can enter into it. But the self being all pervading and without parts as the Upanishad says, one only without a second, water cannot wet it. For the same reason air cannot dry it. These four elements have no effect on the space which is subtler than them and hence the self which is subtler even than the akasa, is not affected by the elements.

 

 

 

24. acChedhyo ayam adhaahyo ayam akledhyo aSoshya eva cha

nithyaH sarvagahaH sThaaNuH achalo ayam snaathanaH

 

Hence the self cannot be cut, nor can it be burned, nor becomes wet nor gets dried up, being eternal, all pervading firm and immovable. and ancient.

 

Reiterating what has been said in the previous sloka, Krishna gives the reason why the self is not affected by the action of the four elements. It is because the self is nithyaH , eternal. It has already been said in the foregoing slokas that the self never ceased to exist. `nathevaaham jaathu naasam,' and avinaSinam nithyam ajam avyayam etc.

It is also sarvagathaH, all pervading., meaning that the elements do not pervade it but the self pervades the element being subtler than the subtlest.

sThaaNuh means firm because being all pervading naturally it has to be firm and hence achalaH , immovable. The two words sThaaNuH and achalaH, though seem to denote the same thing are different in meaning. For instance a thing which is firm, meaning , stays in one place need not be immovable, achala. A tree is sThaaNu but not achala as its branches and leaves are n moving though it stays in one place' But the self cannot move because when a thing is all pervading there is nowhere it can move to. It is eternal and hence sanaathanaH, ancient..

 

 

 

 

25. avyaktho ayam achinthyo ayam avikaaryo ayam uchyathe

thasmaath evam vidhithvaa enam na anuSochithum arhasi.

 

The self is unmanifest, inconceivable and unchanging. Therefore .knowing the self to be such, you should not grieve.

avyakthah ayam- the self is unmanifest. To have manifestation it is necessary to have a body which is made up of the elements. As the self is subtler than the elements it is not manifest. That is, it could not be cognized by the sense organs.

achinthyah ayam- the self is inconceivable. Something that is not manifest or cognizable by the senses could be the object of cognition through mind and intellect like the feelings and ideas. But the self is beyond mind and intellect as the Upanishad declares that `yatho vaacho nivarthanthe aprapya mansaa saha,' the speech and mind are not able to reach that reality which is beyond the senses, mind and intellect. This is because the senses, mind and intellect are able to function because of the presence of the self. As the eye cannot see itself but only objects outside, the senses, mind and intellect are not able to perceive that by which they get the power of perception.

avikaaryo ayam- The self is unchanging because it is nithya, saravgath, sThaNu and achala.

 

Hence Krishna tells Arjuna not to grieve over killing the bodies as the self cannot be destroyed.

 

Bhagavatgita is like milk which is easily digestible for infants while Upanishads are like food for adults which is not so easy to digest , which is why the former is called Dugdham gitamritam mahat .Highest vedanta is administered in easy doses by mixing it with brutal commonsense. For instance , after describing the nature of atman now Krishna comes down to the mundane affairs and talks in terms of everyday experience in the next three slokas.