CHAPTER - 2, SANKHYA YOGA, VERSE : 2.21 - 2.30 ??

Verse 2.21

vedāvinā?hina? nitya? ya enam ajam avyayam

katha? sa puru?ha? pārtha ka? ghātayati hanti kam

English Translation ??

In this verse, Krishna asked - Hey Arjuna, if someone understands that the soul never dies, lasts forever, was never born, and cannot be changed, how can they harm or make others harm anyone ?

Lesson to learn

In simpler words, a person who is spiritually advanced can control their ego, which often makes us think we are solely responsible for everything we do. When someone reaches this level, they realize that it's not really them doing the actions, but something deeper inside them. Even though they might be busy with all sorts of tasks, they remain untouched by them. Lord Krishna is advising Arjun to reach this enlightened state where he sees himself as not the one doing things, without ego, and to fulfill his duties instead of avoiding them.

This teaches us important lessons about handling our ego and finding happiness in our lives and work. It says that sometimes we think we're the only ones responsible for what we achieve, but that's not entirely true. It suggests that deep down, we're not really the ones doing everything. Even though we might do lots of things, they don't define us. We should do our tasks without getting too caught up in what comes out of them. Instead, we should focus on doing what we're supposed to do. It's like saying that it's okay to do our duties without worrying too much about the outcome.

The advice given to Arjun is about being humble and self-aware. It tells us to take on our responsibilities with courage and not run away from them. Instead of stressing about what will happen, we should concentrate on doing what we're supposed to do. Following these simple ideas can help us find meaning and grow as people, both in our personal lives and at work.

Verse 2.22

vāsānsi jīr?āni yathā vihāya

navāni g?ih?āti naro ’parā?i

tathā ?harīrā?i vihāya jīr?ānya

nyāni sanyāti navāni dehī

English Translation ??

In this verse, Krishna said - Just as a person takes off old clothes and puts on new ones, likewise when someone dies, their soul leaves the old body and moves into a new one.

Lesson to learn

Shree Krishna explains that the soul is like changing clothes. When our clothes get old and torn, we put on new ones without changing who we are. In the same way, the soul remains the same when it leaves an old body and is born in a new one. The Nyāya Dar?han supports the idea of rebirth with a few examples, one reason is that babies sometimes feel happy, sad, or scared for no obvious reason. Nyāya Dar?han suggests that babies are remembering their past lives. As they grow, the memories of their current life become stronger and cover up most of the past memories. Also, the experiences of dying and being born again are so intense that they erase many memories from past lives.

The Nyāya Dar?han gives another reason to believe in rebirth: When a baby is born, it doesn't know how to talk. So, how does a mother teach her baby to drink milk from her breast? The answer lies in the baby's past lives. It has drunk milk from many mothers in its previous lives, even in the form of animals also. So, when the mother offers her breast, the baby instinctively knows what to do because it has done it many times before.

Without believing in rebirth, it's hard to explain why people are born with different conditions, for example, if someone is blind from birth and asks why they are like this, it's tough to give a good answer. Saying it's because of their past actions (karmas) might not make sense to them because they think they only have this one life. Saying it's because of God's will seems unfair, as a kind God wouldn't want anyone to suffer. The best explanation is that the person's blindness is linked to actions from their past lives. So, it makes sense to believe in rebirth because it helps us understand why people are different and face different challenges.

Verse 2.23 - 2.25

naina? chhindanti ?hastrā?i naina? dahati pāvaka?

na chaina? kledayantyāpo na ?ho?hayati māruta?

achchhedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam akledyo ’?ho?hya eva cha

nitya? sarva-gata? sthā?ur achalo ’ya? sanātana?

avyakto ’yam achintyo ’yam avikāryo ’yam uchyatetasmādeva? viditvaina? nānu?hochitum arhasi

English Translation ??

In this verse, Krishna said - Weapons can't hurt your soul, and fire can't burn it. Water can't make it wet, and wind can't dry it. Your soul is strong and can't be broken or burnt. It lasts forever, it's everywhere, and it never changes. People say it's invisible, impossible to understand, and can't be changed. Knowing this, you shouldn't be sad about your body.

Lesson to learn

Consciousness is a sign of the soul. We can detect consciousness with instruments, but we can't touch the soul with any physical object. This is because the soul is divine and beyond physical things. Shree Krishna says that wind can't harm the soul, water can't wet it, and fire can't burn it. This shows that the soul is immortal. A good teacher often repeats important points to help students understand them deeply. In Sanskrit, this repetition is called punarukti. Shree Krishna uses this technique in the Bhagavad Gita to emphasize key spiritual ideas.

Our eyes, made of physical energy, can only see physical objects. The soul, being divine, is invisible to us. Scientists tried to detect the soul by putting a dying person in a sealed glass case to see if the soul would crack the glass when leaving, but the soul left without breaking it. The soul is subtle and doesn't need physical space to move. The soul is too subtle for our intellect to understand. The Ka?hopani?had says that beyond the senses are sense objects, beyond sense objects is the mind, beyond the mind is the intellect, and beyond the intellect is the soul. Our intellect can only understand physical concepts and can't grasp the divine soul through thinking. So, we need scriptures and a teacher (Guru) to learn about the soul.

Verse 2.26 - 2.27

atha chaina? nitya-jāta? nitya? vā manyase m?itam

tathāpi tva? mahā-bāho naiva? ?hochitum arhasi

jātasya hi dhruvo m?ityur dhruva? janma m?itasya cha

tasmād aparihārye ’rthe na tva? ?hochitum arhasi

English Translation ??

In this verse, Krishna said - If you believe that the self (or soul) is always being born and dying, Arjun, you still shouldn't be sad like this. Death is guaranteed for anyone who is born, and rebirth is guaranteed for anyone who dies. So, you shouldn't be upset about what is certain to happen.

Lesson to learn

Krishna talks about how life and death are normal parts of existence. It's like saying, "If you believe that people are always being born and dying, you shouldn't be sad about it." The message is that death is something everyone goes through, just like how everyone is born. So, there's no need to be upset about it because it's just a part of life.

Understanding this idea can help us feel more peaceful and strong. It means realizing that even though our bodies might not last forever, our souls continue on in some way. So, instead of worrying about death, we can focus on living well and doing what we need to do.

This teaching isn't just for ancient times; it can help us deal with loss and change in our lives today. By accepting that life includes both beginnings and endings, we can feel more calm and less sad about the tough things that happen. It reminds us to appreciate each moment and not get too caught up in worrying about what might happen in the future.

The Mahabharata tells a story about this. Once, during their time in the forest, the five Pandava brothers were very thirsty. They found a well and Yudhishthir asked Bheem to get water for them all. When Bheem went to the well, a yaksha (a semi-celestial being) inside said he could only take water if he answered some questions. Bheem ignored him and tried to draw water, but the yaksha pulled him in. When Bheem didn't come back, Yudhishthir sent Arjun. The same thing happened to him, and then to Nakul and Sahadev. Finally, Yudhishthir went himself. The yaksha, who was actually the god of death, Yamraj, asked him sixty questions. Yudhishthir answered all of them correctly. One question was: "What is the most surprising thing in the world?" Yudhishthir answered - At every moment people are dying, those who are still alive see this happening, but they don't realize that one day it will happen to them too. Isn't that surprising?

Lord Krishna is saying in this verse that life always leads to death, so it's not worth getting upset about something that's bound to happen.

Verse 2.28 - 2.30

avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyakta-madhyāni bhārata

avyakta-nidhanānyeva tatra kā paridevanā

ā?hcharya-vat pa?hyati ka?hchid enan

ā?hcharya-vad vadati tathaiva chānya?

ā?hcharya-vach chainam anya? ?h?i?oti

?hrutvāpyena? veda na chaiva ka?hchit

dehī nityam avadhyo ’ya? dehe sarvasya bhārata

tasmāt sarvā?i bhūtāni na tva? ?hochitum arhasi

English Translation ??

In this verse Krishna said - Hey Arjuna, all living beings are invisible before they are born, visible when they are alive, and become invisible again after they die. So, why be sad? Some people find the soul amazing, some talk about it as amazing, and some hear about it as amazing, while others, even after hearing about all this, they do not understand it at all. Arjun, the soul inside the body lives forever; so, you should not be sad for anyone.

Lesson to learn

In this verse, Krishna explains that we shouldn't be sad about the soul or the body. Sage Narad gave Yudhishthir similar advice in the ?hrīmad Bhāgavatam by saying - "Whether you see a person as an eternal soul, a temporary body, or a mix of both, don't be sad. Sadness comes from attachment and illusion." In this world, each soul has three bodies - gross body, subtle body & causal body

Gross body - Consists of the five gross elements of nature—earth, water, fire, air, and space.

Subtle body - Consists of eighteen elements—five life-airs, five working senses, five knowledge senses, mind, intellect, and ego.

Causal body - Consists of the account of karmas from endless past lives, including the sanskārs (tendencies) carried forward from previous lives.

At the time of death, the soul leaves its gross body, and along with the subtle and causal bodies. God again gives the soul another gross body according to its subtle and causal bodies, and sends the soul into a suitable mother’s womb for the purpose. After the soul gives up one gross body, there is a transitional phase before it receives a new gross body. This could be a few seconds in duration or a few years long. So before birth, the soul existed with the unmanifest subtle and causal bodies. After death, it still exists in the unmanifest state. It only becomes manifest in the middle. So death is no reason for grief.

The whole world is amazing, from tiny atoms to big galaxies, because they're all God's wonderful creations. Even a small rose flower is amazing with its texture, smell, and beauty. But the most amazing thing is the Supreme Lord himself. They say that Anant Shesh, the divine serpent with ten thousand heads, where Lord Vishnu rests, has been singing God's praises since the beginning of time and still hasn't finished.

The soul, which is a part of God, is even more amazing than anything in the world because it's beyond material stuff. Just like God is divine, the soul is also divine. That's why just being smart isn't enough to understand the soul, because it's really hard to grasp. The Ka?hopani?had says:

"A teacher who truly knows about the self (soul) is really rare. Getting a chance to learn from such a teacher is even rarer. And if you're lucky enough to get that chance, understanding what they teach is the rarest thing of all." Hence, an wise teacher doesn't get discouraged when, despite sincere efforts, the majority of people aren't interested or can't understand the science of the soul even if they try hard