Gita : Ch-2. Slo-23.

Srimad Bhagavad-Gita :


Chapter-2. ( Samkya-yogam )


Slokam-23. ( Sri Krishna  adds   further  about the nature of Atma )



Nainam    chindanti   sastranni     nainam     dahati     pavakah,


Na     cainam     kledayantyapah      na    soshayati      marutah.


Enam    sastranni    na    chindanti    =     Atma  :   never     cut    by   weapons;

Enam     pavakah    na     dahati    =     Fire    never     burns   (  the Atma );

Enam     apah     na      kledayanti     =     Water    never    moistens   (  the  Atma  );

Marutah    na     soshayati     ca     =      Wind     never     dries     (   the   Atma   ).



The soul ( atma ) 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.

As there is no means for the destruction of the Supreme Lord there is also no means of destruction for the immortal soul.

The imperishable nature of the eternal soul is being explicitly proven by showing the impossibility of any means to slay it by these examples in answer to the previous statement of how can the eternal soul be slain in any way?

In the normal course of events in the material existence although there is no destruction there may appear that some being is destroyed like in the case of Daksa losing his head due to the wrath of Siva. To avoid misinterpretations in this way the Supreme Lord mentions the fact that the soul can not be pierced in any way.

It could be interjected that just as in a burning house the occupants of the house are burned along with it, so also in the case of the soul if the physical body is burnt or cut might not the soul be burnt or cut as well. To annihilate this misconception the Supreme Lord Krishna expains that never can the soul be cut by weapons, never can the soul be burned by fire, never can the soul be moistened by water and never can the soul be withered by air. Although only one use of the word na meaning never would have been sufficient to establish the premise of utter futility in trying to destroy the soul, it is used four times to strengthen the empasis insuring there is not even the slightest vestige of doubt.

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 Atma. We, 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 are 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 Varāha Purāṇa, the living entities are described as separated parts and parcels of the Supreme. They are eternally so, according to the Bhagavad-gītā 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 Krishna, but he never became one with Krishna.

To be continued  ...