Gita : Ch-2. Slo-18.





Srimad Bhagavad-Gita :


Chapter-2. ( Samkya-yogam )


Slokam-18. ( Only the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is subject to destruction; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata. )





Antavanta   ime    dehah    nityasyoktah     saririnah, 


Anasino-prameyasya    tasmad-yudhyasva     bharata.




nityasya     anasinah   =   eternal     in     existence,   never    to    be    destroyed;

aprameyasya    =   immeasurable;

saririnnah   =    ( the )  jeevatma's    (  present   as    subtle    nature   in   our   bodies  );  

ime    dehah    =    these  ( physical )    bodies;

antavanta      uktah    =    ( are )   said    to    be    perishable; 

tasmat     bharata     yudhyasva    =    therefore,    Arjuna     begin     the    war.




The material body is perishable by nature. It may perish immediately, or it may do so after a hundred years. It is a question of time only. There is no chance of maintaining it indefinitely. But the spirit soul is so minute that it cannot even be seen by an enemy, to say nothing of being killed. As mentioned in the previous slokam, it is so small that no one can have any idea how to measure its dimension. So from both viewpoints there is no cause of lamentation because the living entity can neither be killed as he is, nor can the material body, which cannot be saved for any length of time, be permanently protected. The minute particle of the whole spirit acquires this material body according to his work, and therefore observance of religious principles should be utilized. In the Vedanta-sutras the living entity is qualified as light because he is part and parcel of the supreme light. As sunlight maintains the entire universe, so the light of the soul maintains this material body. As soon as the spirit soul is out of this material body, the body begins to decompose; therefore it is the spirit soul which maintains this body. The body itself is unimportant. Arjuna was advised to fight and sacrifice the material body for the cause of religion.


That which is characterised by a beginning and an end is clarified as being unreal. The physical body is subject to pleasure and pain, old age and disease. Although the eternal soul is embodied within the physical body; its position is not compromised or affected by the modifications of the physical body. It is therefore aprameyasya or immeasurable, existing always in the same condition, complete within itself. This instruction of the Supreme Lord verifies that the immortal soul being distinct from the body has no factual connection with pleasure, pain, old age or disease so He directs Arjuna not to yield to lamentation born from delusion but to accept his duty as a ksatriya and duly engage in battle. 


The term deha meaning body is derived from the word dih meaning to increase and correspondingly those bodies having increase must also have decrease and therefore are of a perishable nature. The elements combine to form the body dictated by karma ato render service to the imperishable soul to enable the living entity to experience the positive and negative fruits of their actions. In the Brihad- aranyaka Upanisad it is stated: by accruring merit one becomes meritorious. A living entity is forced to accept a body only until all ones positive and negative karma is exhausted and then the physical body is no longer bound to exist in the physical plane. 


As for the soul it is indestructible, it is imperishable and it is inconceivable. As the aggregate of all facets of consciousness the soul is the subject and all individual facets of consciousness are the object. All pervading throughout the body of every living entity the soul as the cogniser is perceived by its unique distinction of being transcendental from the body. Nor can the soul be perceived as of a mutable nature as in the case of the senses. Thus by the fact of its all pervading nature it is verified that the soul is not something which can increase or decrease because of or due to aggregation. By reason of its all pervasiveness the factual reality of the souls eternality is apparent. 


As regarding the body because it is subject to decrease and increase, because it is for the felicitation of the embodied soul in the experiencing the results of karma, because it is of multiforms and because it is subject to decay it is destructible. 


So it can be clearly seen that because the body is of a perishable nature and because the soul is of an eternal nature neither of the two can be just reason for regret. Therefore the Supreme Lord instructs Arjuna to bear with fortitude the unavoidable sharp contact of piercing arrows upon him and upon others and thus going to battle as a matter of duty, without the desire for any results, prepare his way for immortality. 


It might be questioned that if the soul is eternal due to the impossibility of ever being able to be destroyed then why is it that feelings of remorse arise at the demise of family members and loved ones. To clarify this Lord Krishna states that it is only the physical body which is made up of the five fundamental elements of material existence: being earth, water, air, fire and ether and which is the vehicle for enjoying the fruits of ones actions which is subject to destruction. Countless mothers and fathers and countless sons and daughters all established with experience in this world have come and gone and will come and go in the future. There are countless of places of joy and countless of places of grief in the worlds but only the unintelligent are affected by there influenced and not the spiritually intelligent. The soul is always eternal but what the soul is pervading which is known to be both the physical body and the subtle body of all living entities is not eternal and subject to destruction. Only what is eternal can be determined as being truly real what is not eternal can be deemed as unreal. So there is no doubt however that the physical body is perishable and hence not eternal as it is composed of destructible substances. This is on the authority of the Vedic scriptures. 


It might be wondered that if the soul is eternal and indestructible why is this not perceived at the time of death? This is also clarified by Lord Krishna with the use of the word apramesya meaning inconceivable. It is not possible to cognisize the soul as it is this or it is that because not being on the material platform although embodied in a physical body; there is no material conception to compare it to by the strenghth of ones mind. Unless and until one has received the mercy of the Supreme Lord by the direct connection of the authentic spiritual master who is in the line of one of the four empowered and authorised channels of disciplic succession, there is no possibility of perceiving the soul. It is to be known only in this way is this is on authority of the Vedic scriptures. Whatever apprehension one experiences in the physical body that apprehension is destructible; but the soul is never subjected to this. To the contrary the soul is apprehended only by the apprehension of I know, I am, I experience etc. and as it is immortal the soul should never be lamented for. Neither should the body be lamented for because it is perishable. Therefore Arjuna is being instructed to unsnare himself from his delusion and do his duty. 


This slokam confirms that there is no eternal existence for the physical body. As when a mirror is destroyed the reflection in the mirror is also destroyed; but this not true in regards to the Atma. When the body is destroyed the soul is never destroyed for the Atma is eternal. Sharirinah refers to the Supreme Lord in His manifestation as the indwelling monitor of all living entities. There is no destruction of the Atma, it is referred to as indestructible. Why is this so? Because of the presence of imperceivable transcendental manifestation of the Supreme Lord within the heart of all living entities. But there is no upadhi or limitation here as in the example of the destruction of the mirror, where the reflection is destroyed. In this case the soul itself is the reflector through the medium of the individual consciousness. The Supreme Lord is unlimited, there exists no limitations for Him. The individual consciousness of the living entity attaining communion with the Ultimate Consciousness of the Supreme Lord realises the eternal form of the Atma. Thereafter the individual consciousness attaining a direct connection to the Ultimate Consciousness is eternally absorbed in the unlimited bliss of the Supreme Ultimate Personality. 


To be continued  ....



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