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. 

2-17, 18 Sankhya Yoga (सांख्य योग) 17 & 18th verses

 अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् |

विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति ||(2-17)||

avināśhi tu tadviddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
vināśham avyayasyāsya na kaśhchit kartum arhati

Word to Word Meaning: idam sarvam = this entire universe;  yena = by whom; tatam =  pervaded; avināśhi = indestructible;  viddhi = know; asya = of it; avyayasya = of the imperishable;  vināśham = destruction; kartum = to cause;  kaśhchit = any one; na arhati = unfit, ineligible. 

Literal Meaning: O Arjuna! Understand that which permeates the universe is imperishable. That infinite entity cannot be destroyed by anyone.

अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ता: शरीरिण: |
अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत ||(2-18)||

antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śharīriṇaḥ
anāśhino ’prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva bhārata 

Word to Word Meaning: nityasya— of the eternal one; anāśhinaḥ—indestructible; aprameyasya— of the immeasurable;  śharīriṇaḥ—of the embodied soul;   anta-vantaḥ—having an end; ime dehāḥ—these material bodies;  uktāḥ—are said; tasmāt—therefore;  yudhyasva—fight (more in the doing, opposite of inaction); bhārata—descendant of Bharat, Arjun 

Literal Meaning: O Arjuna! Understand that the eternal, imperishable, incorruptible soul resides within the body. However, these bodies are perishable. Recognizing this inevitable truth, therefore, fight.

Implied Meaning: O Man! Recognize the unavoidable reality that humans have no control over either the permanent or the impermanent. Therefore, continue to fulfil the duties assigned to you. 

Commentary:

1.   The Lord is elucidating the purpose of existence: to comprehend and execute the tasks designated for each of us. In our present state, we are often misled by our own thoughts and conditioning. In truth, humans have limited choices. Therefore, the only viable option is to discover and fulfil the duties prescribed to us. (Refer 3.35)

2.   Indeed, we are endowed with awareness, which is an integral part of universal consciousness. However, instead of recognizing this and aligning ourselves with its divine command, we often allow ourselves to be guided by our own limited experiences and fears, much like Arjuna in this context. This single misstep leads to the chaos and turmoil we witness in the world around us.

3.   Annamacharya, one of the greatest exponents of Hindu philosophy, said as below.

గుఱ్ఱాలఁ గట్టని తేరు కొంక కెందైనాఁ బారీ

విఱ్ఱవీఁగుచుఁ దీసీని వేడుకతో జీవుఁడు ॥పల్లవి॥

 

gu~r~rAla gaTTani tEru koMka keMdainA bArI

vi~r~ravIguchu dIsIni vEDukatO jIvuDu          ॥pallavi॥

 

Literal meaning: Fuelled by his arrogance, man sets out on an adventurous odyssey, pitching himself as the master of the horseless vehicle that is his body.

 

4.    This solitary misstep veers the man off course. Ignoring the divine directive, we opt to live life on our terms, ultimately leading to a lacklustre existence.

5.    Despite the clarity, following the commandment appears straightforward, yet man stumbles repeatedly. Arjuna, engulfed in misery, finds it challenging to grasp directives like "you should fight". Moreover, our current state renders comprehending divine commands nearly impossible. Even if understood, our worldly experiences often overshadow such decrees, leading us to dismiss them as "irrational actions".