Sankhya Yoga 2.23

 Verse 2.23 Atma cannot be destroyed by pancha bootha (the five elements)

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावक: |

न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुत: || 23||

nainaṁ chindanti śhastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ

na chainaṁ kledayantyāpo na śhoṣhayati mārutaḥ

na—not; enam—this atma; chindanti—shred; śhastrāṇi—weapons; na—nor; enam—this soul; dahati—burns; pāvakaḥ—fire; na—not; cha—and; enam—this soul; kledayanti—moisten; āpaḥ—water; na—nor; śhoṣhayati—dry; mārutaḥ—wind

Weapons cannot shred the atma, nor can fire burn it. Water cannot wet it, nor can the wind dry it.

Krishna mentions some of the ways in which an object can undergo destruction and confirms that none of these ways can bring about destruction to atma. First he takes the weapons, shastrani, which are made of earth or the elements found in it. There are two kinds of  weapons, one is astra, the ones that are released from a human hand such as an arrow or bullet, the other is called the shastra, the ones that are being held in hands while fighting. With the word shastrani, Krishna denotes both these kinds of weapons. He says none of the weapons made of earthly elements can destroy atma. Na chintanti.

The fire can burn the physical body but it cannot burn the atma. The water can wet the body, not the atma. The wind can dry the body, not atma. In fact these elements cannot even affect the subtle body, sukshma sarira, then what to talk of atma. In this manner, Krishna says none of the four elements air, water, earth or fire can cause damage to atma. The fifth element akasha, the space usually does not cause destruction or damage to anything.

As per the sastra, In subtle and gross states, it is the panchabootha themselves that appear as this universe. From the subtle elements are born the mind, intellect, ego, senses and prana while the physical world and the physical body are born out of the gross elements.

The nature of destruction

It is possible for two different objects to affect each other only when they belong to the same order of reality. If two things belong to different orders of reality, then one of them cannot bring destruction to the other. Atma belongs to the ultimate order of reality, paramarthika satyam while the five elements belong to the transactional order of reality,  vyavaharika satyam. Hence atma is not affected by the five elements.

Any object in this world depends on another for its existence. A pot depends on clay for its existence; clay depends on its atoms; atoms on their electrons and protons. Moreover the existence of any object depends on one’s own view of it and thoughts about it.  Thoughts depend on consciousness while consciousness does not depend on anything. The sat Atma is of the nature of consciousness, chaitanya. Since sat is also the nature of atma, it is of the nature of existence as well. Atma is self evident. Chaitanya atma does not depend on anything whereas everything else which is asat depends on atma for its existence.

This world comes into existence only by atma that is consciousness. Atma is the only knower in this world. Everything else is known through the body, mind and senses.  The known objects can never know atma. How can an object that is shining through the blessing of chaitanya destroy the very chaitanya itself?

Sankhya Yoga 2.22

Verse 2.22

वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय

नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि |

तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा

न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही || 22||

vāsānsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya

navāni gṛihṇāti naro ’parāṇi

tathā śharīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇānya

nyāni sanyāti navāni dehī

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

As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, at the time of death, the soul casts off its worn-out body and enters a new one.

Krishna gives an example here to establish that atma is nityam. He says as a man throws away his worn out, torn, old clothes and gets new clothes, atma (in this place it is the subtle body, for the subtle body does not die when the physical body dies.) also throws away the old, worn out bodies and assumes a new body. Why do people drop their physical bodies at various ages? Some die of old age, some from sickness, some by accident. Some die even when they are very young and even children die. When Krishna says vasamsi jirnani, the definition of worn-out clothes differs from person to person. A poor man may use his clothes until they are tattered and torn while a king might change his clothes every day. Likewise, the stage at which the dropping of the physical body happens differs from person to person. Shastra gives us an explanation as to why people die at different times in their lives.

Based on Shastra, a living being is born due to its prarabdha karma. There are three kinds of karma. Sanchita karma, prarabdha karma and agami karma. Sanchita karma is the net total of all karmas from all its births for a jeeva. If the jeeva has to acquire a physical body for his subtle body, an amount of papa and punya should have been fructified. This fructified papa and punya that leads a jeeva to acquire a physical body is called the prarabdha karma. A jeeva cannot exhaust all his sanchita karma in one physical body alone. He requires multiple bodies to do the same. Hence he has to drop a physical body once the papa and punya related to it are exhausted and acquires another body through the fructification of another set of papa and karma. While in a physical body a jeeva performs various new karmas. These are called agami karma. Hence once the prarabdha karma is complete, the physical body drops dead, which explains deaths of people at various stages of their lives.

Even though the bodies come and go, atma remains unaffected and continues to be as a witness. Atma does not perform any action including dying. The inert subtle body performs this action with the blessings of atma but it looks as though atma performs the very action. But even when the subtle and physical bodies die, atma does not undergo any change.

The physical body is subject to destruction. It dies one day. Everyday it continues to die. But the dehi, the one who dwells in the body does not die. If one understands this truth he will have no reason to grieve. Asochyan anvasocha:tvam. Krishna’s explanation -you are grieved on things that are not worth grieving - continues.

Sankhya Yoga 2.21

Verse 2.21

वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम् |

कथं स पुरुष: पार्थ कं घातयति हन्ति कम् || 21||

vedāvināśhinaṁ nityaṁ ya enam ajam avyayam

kathaṁ sa puruṣhaḥ pārtha kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam

veda—knows; avināśhinam—imperishable; nityam—eternal; yaḥ—who; enam—this; ajam—unborn; avyayam—immutable; katham—how; saḥ—that; puruṣhaḥ—person; pārtha—Partha; kam—whom; ghātayati—causes to be killed; hanti—kills; kam—whom

O Partha, how can one who knows the atma to be imperishable, eternal, unborn, and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?

Atma akarta (atma does not perform any action)

In this verse, Krishna briefly describes what he explained in the previous slokas about the nature of atma. Since atma does not undergo the six kinds of changes he calls it as avinashi (indestructible), ajam that has no birth, avyayam (that which is not subject to decay). The one who has this knowledge really knows the atma. He is the atma jnani (knower of the self). He has no ego (ahankara), hence he does not have any identification with his actions. He does not think, “I have done this.” or “I was instrumental in this action.” Since the teaching takes place in the battlefield, Krishna has taken the action of killing as an example. Arjuna is grieving about the death of his relatives and teachers. But Krishna says the one who knows atma to be himself and with the above said qualities does not kill anyone nor does he instigate someone to kill. 

There are two kinds of karta (agent of action). One is karta. The one who performs an action. The other is karayita or hetu karta. The one who makes someone else perform the action. An atma jnani is neither a karta nor a karayita.

Sarva karma sanyasi ( the sanyasi who renounced ownership of his actions).

A Sarva karma sanyasi does not have kartritva buddi (the sense of doership). With his mind as the backdrop, his senses perform various functions. But he remains in his true state with the realization that he is not the doer of any action. The one who has this knowledge is called vidvan. His prayers, his yoga, his spiritual practices to attain noble qualities all culminate in attaining this sarva karma sanyasa state. Shankara in his commentary says that he who has attained this state does not perform any action with the expectation of any desired result. By stating that all his prior karmas and upasanas were performed only to attain this state, he connects the karma shastra to vedanta shastra. Sarva karma sanyasa is the only real sanyasa.

Hence one can choose to live in family life (grihasta) and continue his life as a sarva karma sanyasi to spend his prarabdha. He does not have to physically renounce his materialistic possession to embrace a life of sanyasa as stated by the shastras. As long as one is a sarva karma sanyasi, meaning he renounced the doership of all his actions, then the ashrama he lives in does not really matter. People like king Janaka lived in worldly life and yet remained atma jnanis performing their actions as directed by their prarabdha. He does not do any action desiring a particular result. All his actions are directed by his own prarabdha. This view is strongly given in the Gita in various places.

Sankhya Yoga 2.20

 Verse 2.20

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि

नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूय: |

अजो नित्य: शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो

न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे || 20||

na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin

nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ

ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato ’yaṁ purāṇo

na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre

na jāyate—is not born; mriyate—dies; vā—or; kadāchit—at any time; na—not; ayam—this; bhūtvā—having once existed; bhavitā—will be; vā—or; na—not; bhūyaḥ—further; ajaḥ—unborn; nityaḥ—eternal; śhāśhvataḥ—immortal; ayam—this; purāṇaḥ—the ancient; na hanyate—is not destroyed; hanyamāne—is destroyed; śharīre—when the body

The atma is neither born, nor does it ever die; nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be. The atma is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.

The physical body undergoes six kinds of changes (shat bhava vikara:)

1. Asti - existing (in mother’s womb)

2. Jayate - being born

3. Vartate - growing

4. Viparinamate - changing 

5. Apaksheeyate - weakening

6. Vinashyati -dying 

Atma does not have these six kinds of changes.

Atma is unchanging

In order to establish the fact that atma is unchanging at all times, here is a reference given from sruti.  Verse 20 is in tristup meter while verse 19 is in anushtup meter. The verses of Ramayana and Mahabharata are mainly in anushtup meter which is easier for chanting. 

Krishna says that atma is never born (na jayate) nor will atma ever die (na mriyate). The changes such as birth and death do not belong to atma.

The birth of an object can be of two kinds. One that did not manifest earlier comes into existence ( from abava: to bava:) eg. pot. One that had manifested earlier in a different form transforms into another (from bava: to bava:) eg. a plant growing from a seed. Atma does not have both these changes. 

The next line  nayam bhutva na bhavita va na bhuya: is interpreted in two ways by Shankara. Atma is not something that existed at one point in time and ceases to exist at another ( bhutva buya: na bhavita na). Or atma is not something that was non-existent at one point in time and comes into existence at another ( na bhutva bhuya: bhavita na). Atma was not absent in the past nor will it cease to be in the future.

When something did not exist before and came into existence now it is called the birth of that thing. When something exists for a period of time and ceases to exist at a given point it is called the death of the thing. Since atma does not have these two changes it is never born ( aja:); and eternal ( nitya). There are two kinds of eternity. One is called the pravaha nityam (ever changing but eternal). A river is said to be eternal because it is always there. But the water in the river is constantly flowing. We should not understand atma as pravaha nityam. Hence the word shasvata: removes that doubt. Atma is kutastha nityam ( eternal and unchanging).  Another word that represents atma here is purana. Generally purana means ancient. But here it is given in the sense ever fresh. (pura yeva nava: purana:). Atma is new from the beginning. Also atma is not killed when the body perishes (sharire hanyamane na hanyate). If an object has attributes, then it will be subject to the changes such as growing, waning, shining, shrinking, etc. But atma does not have any attributes, nor divisions, nor limbs. Hence it will never be subject to any change. It is always new and never indulges in any action nor does it allow itself to be an object of the action. So it is akarta and akarmam. Hence it is asochya, a thing that is not worthy of grief.

Shankara concludes his commentary on this sloka by saying that the physical body undergoes six kinds of changes but Krishna establishes that atma does not have these changes.

Sankhya Yoga 2.19

 Verse 2.19 A Quote from upanishad

य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं यश्चैनं मन्यते हतम् |

उभौ तौ न विजानीतो नायं हन्ति न हन्यते || 19||

ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ yaśh chainaṁ manyate hatam

ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate

yaḥ—one who; enam—this; vetti—knows; hantāram—the slayer; yaḥ—one who; cha—and; enam—this; manyate—thinks; hatam—slain; ubhau—both; tau—they; na—not; vijānītaḥ—in knowledge; na—neither; ayam—this; hanti—slays; na—nor; hanyate—is killed

Neither of them knows the truth—the one who thinks atma can slay and the one who thinks atma can be slain. For truly, atma neither kills nor can it be killed.

Vedas that contain the upanishads at the end are called srutis. The scriptures that are born out of the minds of the mahatmas are called smritis. The smiritis, though they are born out of human minds, must endorse what the srutis say. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna presents himself  as the Lord (Ishwara) and teaches Arjuna. His teaching will still be considered valid even if he does not take reference from Upanishad which is a sruti. But since Krishna speaks at a given point in time and the entire Gita is born out of Krishna’s mind, to show that his teaching is well supported by sruti which is a pramana grnatha (an instrument of knowledge), he takes reference from kathopanishad for verses 19 and 20. In another place he says, “I am the one who is known through vedas.” He quotes upanishad in many places in the Bhagavad Gita.

Atma akartha (Self is non-doer)

The word this (yenam) in this verse denotes the eternal, non-objectifiable,self-evident, ever existing atma that is the substratum of all that is asat.

The one who thinks that atma indulges in an action (such as killing), or the one who looks upon atma as the one that is a subject of receiving an action (such as being killed), both do not know the nature of atma. Atma does not perform the action of killing or lends itself to be killed. Atma is not the killer nor is atma the killed. Because atma is non-doer.

Atma is neither the doer nor the receiver of an action. The sense of doership (kartrutvam) is only superimposed on atma. In order to understand this concept better, let us analyze the word sannyasa.

There are two kinds of sannyasa. 1) sannyasa the lifestyle 2) sarva-karma- sannyasa 

In the sannyasa lifestyle one releases himself from the nitya-naimittika karma imposed by vedas. This is called karma sannyasa. This kind of sannyasa does not remove the sense of doership and hence he continues to be the doer and enjoyer. But in the sarva-karma-sannyasa the spiritual aspirant gets rid of  the notion of doership and enjoyership by knowing that I, the atma, is not the doer or the enjoyer. The knowledge that I do not perform any action releases one from all actions and their results. The one who performs an action with this knowledge is considered only a non-doer. He is free from all implications of his wrong notions. This freedom is called sannyasa. 

Krishna’s Gita, Vyasa’s Mahabharata or the commentaries of Shankara are all results of their respective actions. A self realized person performs any action with a realization that he, the atma is not the doer. He is aware that it is his non-self such as the mind or the physical body that performs any actions. Hence he will never misidentify himself as the doer or enjoyer.

If one thinks that I have performed this action after completing a task, then he becomes a karta, doer. Any action will bring about a result. The desired results are punyas and the undesired results are papas. Since he coincides him to be a doer, the results of his actions belong to him. Ishwara designates the papas and punyas to the doer based on the nature of the action. When he receives the results of his own action the doer becomes an enjoyer, bhokta.

Karta - bhokta - samsari ( doer - enjoyer - sufferer)

Akarta - abhokta - muktha: ( non-doer, non-enjoyer, free person)-atma

Now a question.  If the mind and the physical body are inert they should not be able to perform any action. How is it possible for an inert object like the mind to perform actions?

The nature of atma is of consciousness. Atma lends its nature to the inert object, mind. The consciousness borrowed by the mind is called the reflected consciousness, (chitabasa). Like even a mirror reflects the light of the sun, the mind reflects the consciousness. With this reflected consciousness, the mind acquires the status of doer and enjoyer. We must notice that the physical body is considered an extension of the mind and hence it also borrows the light of consciousness and shines. You could also consider the mind as another kind of body, the subtle body.

Ahankara (the ego) is the thinking that I am this physical body or the mind, or both. But the nature of the bodies are ever changing while atma is eternal. When clouds vanish from the sky, the sky itself does not vanish. Likewise when the bodies perish, atma remains unaffected.

Sankhya Yoga 2.18

Verse 2.18 Atma is eternal and never changing

अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ता: शरीरिण: |

अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत || 18||

antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śharīriṇaḥ

anāśhino ’prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva bhārata

anta-vantaḥ—having an end; ime—these; dehāḥ—material bodies; nityasya—eternally; uktāḥ—are said; śharīriṇaḥ—one who has the body; atma; anāśhinaḥ—indestructible; aprameyasya—non objectifiable; tasmāt—therefore; yudhyasva—fight; bhārata—descendant of Bharat, Arjun

Only the material body is perishable; atma that has the body is indestructible, non objectifiable, and eternal. Therefore, fight, O descendent of Bharata.

Atma kutastha nityam; atma aprameyam

Nityam means eternal. The word kutastha specifies an important attribute of atma. There are two kinds of nityam, eternity. One is pravaha nityam - eternal but always flowing, changing; the other is kutastha nityam - eternal and never changing. Here it is proved that atma is kutastha nityam.

Sri Krishna also says atma aprameyam - atma is non objectifiable; it cannot be known.

This physical body is mitya

In one angle it can be considered that the human body is an assemblage of bones, flesh, skin, blood, cells and DNA. In another, we can say that the human body is made up of protein, carbohydrate, fat, minerals and water. Since all these things depend on each other to make up the whole body and the body itself depends on these things for its construction and function, the physical body is mitya. Even according to the vision of vedanta, since the physical body is dependent on the five elements, it is considered mitya. 

The physical body is a product. The body appears at a certain period in time, exists for a certain amount of time, and withers away after a period of time. In this verse, Krishna points out all the bodies (including that of his own) of those people who gathered in the battlefield and says they are of the nature of having an end (anthavantha:).

To whom do these bodies belong? It is the atma that lends existence and consciousness to the body. Since the consciousness of atma reflects in the subtle body (sukshma sarira), the physical body too attains consciousness. Therefore, the physical body is dependent on the atma that dwells in it.

When referring to the physical bodies Krishna uses a plural word ime deha: (these bodies), but when he wants to refer to the one who has these bodies, he uses a singular word saririna: (the one who has these bodies). Hence he wants to establish that though the bodies that have the nature of having an end are many, the atma that dwells inside all of them is only one, not many.

Baghvan here teaches us three truths in one single line. 1) Though there are many bodies, atma is only one. 2) Bodies will perish but atma is indestructible. 3) Bodies are products and therefore known as objects but atma is non objectifiable. 

Atma is self evident (atma swada siddha:) 

Shankara in his commentary says atma cannot be known as an object. If it cannot be known then what is the point of learning vedas and shastras (scriptures)? What role do they play in knowing the atma? The role of upanishad is removing all wrong notions about one’s self (atma) thereby revealing the self evident atma. Because of this important job, upanishads gain the status of a pramana (instrument of knowledge).  In reality, atma is swada siddha: self evident. But due to wrong identification, we superimpose the doership and the enjoyership on atma and suffer due to this. By nature, every jeeva holds this wrong conclusion in his heart. Upanishad only clears out this confusion. The ability of shastra to remove the ignorance that is superimposed on atma due to wrong understanding gives the shastra the status of an instrument of knowledge, pramana.

Shastra does not say that atma can be known. Shankara quotes the shastra that only because of the self-evident atma everything else becomes evident. In this verse Krishna says the bodies are destructible and the atma that has the bodies as its abode is indestructible. Why can't it be destructible? Because atma is the knower, not the known (aprameyam). All known objects are subject to destruction. Since atma is self evident, and not a known object, it is eternal. Since it cannot be measured by time it is indestructible. 

Moksha shastra ( the scripture for liberation)

Why does Krishna tell Arjuna to fight here? If Arjuna wants to destroy the atma of Bhishma he will not be able to do it since atma is indestructible. If he wants to prevent the destruction of Bhishma’s body he would not be able to do it either. Krishna here does not order him to fight. Arjuna had come to the battle ground just for the purpose of waging a war. Due to delusion and sorrow he did not know how to proceed with the things. Krishna simply removes his sorrow and delusion and asks him to do his duty. One should not escape from performing one’s duty. Since Arjuna’s duty is to fight, at this instance he asks him to fight. Because Krishna tells Arjuna to fight, we should not consider Gita as a pravritti shastra (the scripture that teaches the path of acquisition) like the karma kanda of vedas. Since it removes Arjuna’s sorrow and its root cause, ignorance, we should consider Gita as a nivritti shastra (the scripture that teaches the path of renunciation).

The benefit of performing one’s duty is attaining one’s mental purity. Through attaining mental purity one qualifies for Self knowledge (Atma jnana). Through attaining self knowledge one attains Moksha (liberation).