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?