2--23, 24, 25 Sankhya Yoga (सांख्य योग) 23rd, 24th & 25th verses

 नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावक: |

न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुत: ||(2-23)||

nainaṁ chhindanti śhastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
na chainaṁ kledayantyāpo na śhoṣhayati mārutaḥ

Word to Word Meaning: enam = this soul; śhastrāṇi = weapons; na = not; chhindanti = shred; pāvakaḥ = fire;   enam = this soul; na = nor; dahati = burns;  āpaḥ = water;  cha = and; na = not; enam = this soul; kledayanti = inundate, submerge; mārutaḥ = wind; na = nor; śhoṣhayati = dry; 

Literal Meaning: No weapons can pierce the soul, fire can’t burn it. Neither Water can drench, nor the air can wither it.

 

अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च |
नित्य: सर्वगत: स्थाणुरचलोऽयं सनातन: ||(2-24)||

achchhedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam akledyo ’śhoṣhya eva cha
nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur achalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ

Word to Word Meaning: ayam = this soul; achchhedyaḥ = unbreakable; ayam = this soul; adāhyaḥ = incombustible;  akledyaḥ = cannot be dampened; aśhoṣhyaḥ = cannot be dried; cha = and;  ayam = this soul; eva = indeed; nityaḥ = everlasting; sarva-gataḥ = all-pervading; sthāṇuḥ = unalterable; achalaḥ = immutable;  sanātanaḥ  = primordial

Literal Meaning: The soul is not punctured, nor burned, nor dampened, nor parched. Soul is all-pervading, constant, immovable, eternal.

 

अव्यक्तोऽयमचिन्त्योऽयमविकार्योऽयमुच्यते |
तस्मादेवं विदित्वैनं नानुशोचितुमर्हसि ||(2-25)||

avyakto ’yam achintyo ’yam avikāryo ’yam uchyate
tasmādevaṁ viditvainaṁ nānuśhochitum arhasi

Word to Word Meaning: ayam = this soul;  avyaktaḥ = unmanifested (imperceptible to senses); ayam = this soul; achintyaḥ = inconceivable by the mind; ayam = this soul; avikāryaḥ = unchangeable; (iti = thus); uchyate = is declared; tasmāt = therefore; enam = this soul; evam = thus; viditvā = having known;   anuśhochitum = to grieve; na = not; arhasi = befitting

Literal Meaning: This soul is said to be imperceptible to the senses, inconceivable by the mind, and unalterable. Therefore, knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.

Commentary: As stated above it is impossible to have the first-hand knowledge of soul.  But there are many who claim to know it. You can judge their claims.  Let's leave this matter here and move on to understand Bhagavad Gita.

2-21, 22 Sankhya Yoga (सांख्य योग) 21st & 22nd verses

 

वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम् |
कथं स पुरुष: पार्थ कं घातयति हन्ति कम् ||(2-21)||

vedāvināśhinaṁ nityaṁ ya enam ajam avyayam
kathaṁ sa puruṣhaḥ pārtha kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam

Word to Word Meaning: pārtha = Arjun; yaḥ = who; enam = this (atman); ajam = unborn;   avyayam = immutable;  avināśhinam = imperishable; nityam = eternal;  veda = knows; saḥ = that; puruṣhaḥ = person; katham = how; kam = whom; ghātayati = causes to be killed; hanti = kills; kam = whom.

Literal Meaning: O Arjun, how can one who knows the soul to be imperishable, eternal, unborn, and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?

 वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय
नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि |
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा
न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ||(2-22)||

vāsānsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
navāni gṛihṇāti naro ’parāṇi
tathā śharīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇānya
nyāni sanyāti navāni dehī

Word to Word Meaning: naraḥ—a person; jirṇāni—worn-out; vāsānsi—garments; vihāya—sheds; aparāṇi—others; navāni (vāsānsi)—new (garments); yathā—as; gṛihṇāti—accepts;  tathā—likewise; dehī—the embodied soul;  jīrṇāni—worn-out;      śharīrāṇi—bodies; vihāya—casting off;  anyāni—other navāni (śharīrāṇi)—new (bodies); ; sanyāti—enters. 

Literal Meaning: Just as a human being sheds his worn out (old) clothes and puts on new clothes, in the same way, at the time of death, the soul leaves the old body and assumes a new body.

Commentary: From the previous explanations, we learn that life is continuous and that death is inevitable for every living being. The awareness we gain between birth and death is fleeting, ending with our demise. This makes our present knowledge temporary and limited, leaving us with little chance to understand eternity in our current state. 

Our awareness ends with death, making it impossible for us humans to connect with the next life. Moreover, what purpose does it serve to know what we will be? Is it not immaturity to guess the actions of God? Any interpretation, however logical it may be, still falls in the realm of imagination. Some of us may derive satisfaction from believing our interpretation is closer to reality, but this is mere gratification, not truth.

2-19, 20 Sankhya Yoga (सांख्य योग) 19 & 20th verses

य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं यश्चैनं मन्यते हतम् |
उभौ तौ न विजानीतो नायं हन्ति न हन्यते ||(2-19)||

ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ yaśh chainaṁ manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate

Word to Word Meaning: yaḥ—one who; enam—this (atma in his body); hantāram—the slayer; vetti—knows;  yaḥ—one who; cha—and; enam—this (atma in his body); manyate—thinks; hatam—slain; tau they; ubhau—both;  na—not; vijānītaḥ—in knowledge; na—neither; ayam—this (atma); hanti—slays; na—nor; hanyate—is killed. 

Literal Meaning: Whoever thinks of the eternal (atman) as the slayer or the one who is slain, neither of them are in appropriate knowledge. The truly eternal (atman) is not subject to change. 

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि
नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूय: |
अजो नित्य: शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ||(2-20)||

na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre 

Word to Word Meaning: ayam—this (atma); kadāchit—at any time; na jāyate—is not born; na mriyate—not dies; vā—or;  na—not; bhūtvā—having once existed; bhūyaḥ—further; bhavitā vā na —will not manifest in future as well; ayam—this (atma); ajaḥ—unborn; nityaḥ—eternal; śhāśhvataḥ—immortal; ayam—this (atma); purāṇaḥ—the most ancient; na hanyate—is not destroyed; śharīre—when the body; hanyamāne—is destroyed; 

Literal Meaning: This soul is never born. It will never die. He does not manifest with reference to certain time frame.  He is without birth. Eternal. Ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.

Commentary: The Atma is within us but remains unknown. This theme is repeated several times in the Bhagavad Gita. The path to self-realization is through meditation. All other pursuits will lead us into ignorance.