Sankhya Yoga 2.28

Verse 2.28

अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत |

अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना || 28||

avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyakta-madhyāni bhārata

avyakta-nidhanānyeva tatra kā paridevanā

avyakta-ādīni—unmanifest before birth; bhūtāni—created beings; vyakta—manifest; madhyāni—in the middle; bhārata—Arjun, scion of Bharat; avyakta—unmanifest; nidhanāni—on death; eva—indeed; tatra—therefore; kā—why; paridevanā—grieve

O scion of Bharat, all created beings are unmanifest before birth, manifest in life, and again unmanifest on death. So why grieve?

The definition of birth and death is given in this verse.

Everything that is created must have a cause for its creation. The cause of the creation of a pot is clay. The causal state is the state before the appearance of a thing. This state is called avyaktam, the unmanifest form. The cause undergoes a change to produce objects out of it. This state is called the manifest state (vyaktam). If seed is the cause, the appearance of roots, branches and leaves is called manifest state. This manifest state can be experienced by the sense organs. 

The five elements are the cause for the manifestation of the physical body. After death the physical body goes back into the five elements. The appearance, sustenance and the dissolution happen in the five elements. The subtle body goes back into the causal body.

In the same manner, the dissolution of the universe into the lord is called avyaktam. In reality, nothing undergoes destruction in this world. Everything oscillates between the manifest and the unmanifest states. When something comes into manifest state we say it is born and when it goes back to the unmanifest form we say it is dead. No one can create anything that is not already present. What came into existence was already present in a different form. Then it goes back to where it came from. Hence There is no birth nor is there death. Knowing this one must not grieve.

Sankhya Yoga 2.27

Verse 2.27

जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च |

तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि || 27||

jātasya hi dhruvo mṛityur dhruvaṁ janma mṛitasya cha

tasmād aparihārye ’rthe na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi

jātasya—for one who has been born; hi—for;

dhruvaḥ—certain; mṛityuḥ—death; dhruvam—certain; janma—birth;

mṛitasya—for the dead; cha—and; tasmāt—therefore;

aparihārye arthe—in this inevitable situation; na—not;

tvam—you; śhochitum—lament; arhasi—befitting

Death is certain for one who has been born,

and rebirth is inevitable for one who has died.

Therefore, you should not lament over the inevitable.

In this verse, Krishna talks about those who die before attaining self realization. It is natural for a jeeva to be born and die as long as he is bound by false identifications such as desires. No one can stop death that comes due to one’s karma. Even the avataras like Rama and Krishna had to meet with their death. If a body is born it is destined to die after a certain period of time. Krishna states this universal law and asks Arjuna not to grieve about something that cannot be altered (apariharyerte). If a situation has the possibility to be changed, it is wise for one to make an effort to alter the course of the situation or try to prevent it from happening. But if one realizes that a situation cannot be prevented from happening, the wisest thing to do is to wholeheartedly accept the result that the situation brings forth upon oneself. Hence one should understand that the reason for sorrow is not the unalterable situation itself, but the mindset that does not accept the situation.

Sankhya Yoga 2.26

 Verse 2.26

अथ चैनं नित्यजातं नित्यं वा मन्यसे मृतम् |

तथापि त्वं महाबाहो नैवं शोचितुमर्हसि || 26||

atha chainaṁ nitya-jātaṁ nityaṁ vā manyase mṛitam

tathāpi tvaṁ mahā-bāho naivaṁ śhochitum arhasi

atha—if, however; cha—and; enam—this soul; nitya-jātam—taking constant birth; nityam—always; vā—or; manyase—you think; mṛitam—dead; tathā api—even then; tvam—you; mahā-bāho—mighty-armed one, Arjun; na—not; evam—like this; śhochitum—grieve; arhasi—befitting

Those who root for charvaka religion say that there is no such thing as eternal. Krishna has taken their claim for argument’s sake and explains even if atma is taken upon as an entity that is being born all the time, there is no reason to be sad about it. After their death at the battlefield, Bhishma and Drona will be born again in different forms. If atma has the nature of dying, one cannot change the very nature of a thing. If a thing is destined to die, it will eventually die. Even with regards to the death of the physical bodies Bhishma and Drona one is not qualified to grief.

Sankhya Yoga 2.25

 Verse 2.25

अव्यक्तोऽयमचिन्त्योऽयमविकार्योऽयमुच्यते |

तस्मादेवं विदित्वैनं नानुशोचितुमर्हसि || 25||

avyakto ’yam achintyo ’yam avikāryo ’yam uchyate

tasmādevaṁ viditvainaṁ nānuśhochitum arhasi

avyaktaḥ—unmanifested; ayam—this soul; achintyaḥ—inconceivable; ayam—this soul; avikāryaḥ—unchangeable; ayam—this soul; uchyate—is said; tasmāt—therefore; evam—thus; viditvā—having known; enam—this soul; na—not; anuśhochitum—to grieve; arhasi—befitting

Atma is spoken of as invisible, inconceivable, and unchangeable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.

There is no reason to grieve

Vyaktham means that which is manifest and can be experienced by the sense organs. But atma is avyaktam, unmanifest and achinthya: inconceivable. Krishna says atma is not an object to be experienced by the sense organs or conceived by mind. Since it does not have limbs or specific properties, it is also called avikarya: the unchangeable. One can argue that atma is said to be sat, chit and ananda - atma is of the nature of existence, consciousness and limitlessness (some consider ananda means bliss which may not be wrong as well, since if something is limitless then it should be of the nature of bliss.), which could be considered either as parts of atma or its properties. Is it proper to say that atma is unchangeable or partless? Yes it is. Because existence, consciousness and limitlessness are not the properties but the very nature of atma. A property will have the quality of being present, absent or gradation in an object. An iron bar can be hot, cold or hotter. Here the iron bar is said to have the property of the temperature. But the nature of fire is heat. One can never separate heat from fire. In the same way, one can never separate the three from atma, for they are its very nature. 

One thinks that I am as good as the body, I am the doer, I am the enjoyer of the results of my actions, or I am happy at one time and am sad at another based on his wrong conclusions that I am the body, mind and senses. Based on these few verses taught by Krishna, one has to give up this wrong thinking and knows himself to be the sat-chit-ananda atma. Krishna tells Arjuna that there is no ground for you to grieve (anushochitum na arhasi). When you know that there is no death for atma, there is no ground for you to grieve about anything.

Krishna said that Arjuna need not grieve with regards to the death of Bhishma or Drona since atma has no death. But what if Arjuna is grieved about the destruction of their physical bodies? What if his grief is about the cessation of anatma? Krishna answers this question in the forthcoming verses.

Sankhya Yoga 2.24

Verse 2.24 The essence of the principle of atma.

अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च |

नित्य: सर्वगत: स्थाणुरचलोऽयं सनातन: || 24||

achchhedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam akledyo ’śhoṣhya eva cha

nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur achalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ

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

Atma  is unbreakable and incombustible; it can neither be dampened nor dried. It is everlasting, in all places, unalterable, immutable, and primordial.

In this verse, Krishna says atma is unbreakable and incombustible. It can neither be dampened nor be dried.  A doubt may arise here if atma is a non-existent entity. Because a non-existent entity too cannot be subject to destruction. For example, a hare's horn cannot be destroyed since there is no possibility of a hare to have horns. But atma is not a non-existing entity. It is the only entity that exists. And here Krishna denotes only that atma and not nothingness (Shunya). To know that I exist, I do not require any external means of knowledge such as the senses, anumana (prediction) or by example. Since atma is swatah siddha: self evident, it does not require any external means to reveal itself.  

The reason why Krishna says that atma cannot be broken etc, is to establish that it is not a non-existing entity.

Atma is not limited by time and hence it is nityam, eternal. It is all pervading, sarvagatha: since it is all pervading it is sthanu: fixed. But if it is fixed in one place like the trees, will it be moving while standing in one place? No, it is achala: not moving. Krishna says atma is sanathanam: always present; primordial. Atma is the cause of everything but has no cause for its coming into existence. 

Krishna here uses so many words to describe that atma which cannot be described by words. Upanishads say words cannot reach atma. But the reason for using multiple words to describe the nature of atma is because for a student like Arjuna, any one of those words might enter his heart and make him realize his own self and remove his ignorance and thereby his sorrow. Due to ignorance man brings forth sorrow upon himself and loses his divinity. In order to remove that ignorance Krishna uses a lot of words to explain atma.