Sankhya Yoga 2.34

Verse 2.34

अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम् |

सम्भावितस्य चाकीर्ति र्मरणादतिरिच्यते || 34||

akīrtiṁ chāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣhyanti te ’vyayām

sambhāvitasya chākīrtir maraṇād atirichyate

akīrtim—infamy; cha—and; api—also; bhūtāni—people; kathayiṣhyanti—will speak; te—of your; avyayām—everlasting; sambhāvitasya—of a respectable person; cha—and; akīrtiḥ—infamy; maraṇāt—than death; atirichyate—is greater

People will speak of you as a coward and a deserter. For a respectable person, infamy is worse than death.

The worldly loss due to failure to perform one’s duty

Not only the warriors at the battlefield, but even ordinary people will speak of Arjuna as a coward if he retreats from war without giving a fight. Even the people of the future generations will ridicule him. Arjuna has led a life of respectability and fame as a warrior all through his life. For a warrior like him, infamy is worse than death.

A spiritual aspirant is an extremely sensitive person. He would rather do his duty even if the odds are not in his favor than meet with ridicule and infamy. He should be aware that his swadharma has come upon him due to his prarabdha, and he is required to fulfill it no matter what. Many realized souls continue to perform their duties even after they attained enlightenment. They realize that things are needed to be done in order for the world to follow in their footsteps and are completely oblivious to the oncoming infamy if the duties are not performed. People like Arjuna are worldly and love to thrive in society. Hence it is imperative that they fear infamy and to avoid it, they should perform their duties without fail.

Sankhya Yoga 2.33

Verse 2.33

अथ चेतत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि |

तत: स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि || 33||

atha chet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣhyasi

tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ cha hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi

atha chet—if, however; tvam—you; imam—this; dharmyam saṅgrāmam—righteous war; na—not; kariṣhyasi—act; tataḥ—then; sva-dharmam—one’s duty in accordance with the Vedas; kīrtim—reputation; cha—and; hitvā—abandoning; pāpam—sin; avāpsyasi—will incur

If, however, you refuse to fight this righteous war, abandoning your social duty and reputation, you will certainly incur sin.

Arjuna had already argued if he is engaged in this battle he will incur sin. But Krishna tells him otherwise. If Arjuna did not engage in this righteous war (dharmyam sangramam) he would lose his reputation and fall from his duty. Eventually, he will only incur sin.

What could be the sin that Krishna is talking about here? Performing one’s duty with a detached mindset over a period of time helps one attain mental purity. Only a mind that is devoid of any impurities and focused has the ability to receive and nourish self-knowledge. Krishna considers it a sin to forgo one’s duties because he who does it will be lost in his pursuit of freedom due to his inability to possess a qualified mind.

The one who does adharma meets with destruction. But the one who fails to do his swadharma, his duty at the right time will meet with greater destruction. Krishna says when one forgoes his duties, he forgoes his reputation as well.

Sankhya Yoga 2.32

Verse 2.32

यदृच्छया चोपपन्नं स्वर्गद्वारमपावृतम् |

सुखिन: क्षत्रिया: पार्थ लभन्ते युद्धमीदृशम् || 32||

yadṛichchhayā chopapannaṁ swarga-dvāram apāvṛitam

sukhinaḥ kṣhatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddham īdṛiśham

yadṛichchhayā—unsought; cha—and; upapannam—has come upon; swarga—celestial abodes; dvāram—door; apāvṛitam—wide open; sukhinaḥ—happy; kṣhatriyāḥ—warriors; pārtha—Arjun, the son of Pritha; labhante—obtain; yuddham—war; īdṛiśham—such

O Partha, happy are the warriors to whom such opportunities to defend righteousness come unsought, opening for them are the doors to the celestial abodes.

The fruits of doing one’s duty

As per the Dharma shastra, one meets with the results of either his right or wrong actions. Based on the vision of shastra, there are two kinds of results of any action . Drushta phalam is the result of action that is visible to everyone. The invisible action is called the adrushta phalam. This kind of invisible result is promised by the shastra and one can only trust its words as there is no way to prove them. One has to simply perform his duties with trust and the invisible result follows. One such trust is, if one performs his duty properly he will enter heaven after death.

Yadruchaya means unexpected, unsought. Krishna says, for Arjuna the doors of heaven have been unexpectedly open by way of this war. Only fortunate kshatriyas will get this kind of an opportunity. 

For everyone, very rarely in their lives, this kind of unexpectedly good time will come knocking  at their doors. One must make use of it in order to be successful in life. Only those who know how to use these opportunities attain fame and name. Krishna further explains what would happen if this golden opportunity is not used properly.

Sankhya Yoga 2.31

Verse 2.31 One must not deviate from his Swadharma (one’s own duty)

स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि |

धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते || 31||

swa-dharmam api chāvekṣhya na vikampitum arhasi

dharmyāddhi yuddhāch chhreyo ’nyat kṣhatriyasya na vidyate

swa-dharmam—one’s duty in accordance with dharma; api—also; cha—and; avekṣhya—considering; na—not; vikampitum—to waver; arhasi—should; dharmyāt—for righteousness; hi—indeed; yuddhāt—than fighting; śhreyaḥ—better; anyat—another; kṣhatriyasya—of a warrior; na—not; vidyate—exists

Besides, considering your duty, you should not waver. Indeed, for a kshatriya, there is no better engagement than fighting for upholding righteousness.

From this verse onwards, Krishna talks about the absolute necessity of fulfilling one’s own duty. This is called swadharma. Dharma is of two kinds. Samanya dharma and visesha dharma or swadharma. Samanya Dharma is common to one and all. The examples of Samanya Dharma are cleanliness, non-violence, speaking truth etc.

But the vishesha dharma or swadharma changes from time to time and person to person. In our culture, a person’s life is divided into four ashramas, parts namely Brahmacharya, Grihasta, Vanaprastha and Sanyasa. The person has duties to fulfill in each of these ashramas. In Brahmacharya ashrama, which lies in the first twenty four years of one’s life, one has to dedicate his time for studies. He is not supposed to earn money for himself during this period. He should lead a simple lifestyle and serve his parents and teacher. Next comes Grihastha ashram in which a person marries and leads a family life. During this stage, he will work and earn to sustain his family. He is allowed to enjoy family life provided he attains them through proper and rightful means. The primary duty of a grihastha is to look after his family, raise children and help those around him. It is the duty of a grihastha to take care of people from other ashramas since they do not work to earn their means. After fulfilling the duties of grihastha a person enters vanaprastha. The word literally means living in the forest. The couple leave all their responsibilities to their grown up children who now are in their grihastha stage and choose to live a life of seclusion. They would dedicate their entire time for the study of shastra. Once their study is over, the couple either part or live under the same roof not as a couple but as two sanyasis. This sanyasa ashrama is the final stage of one’s life. The person spends his entire time in meditation and contemplation of the higher truth and lives until his prarabdha continues. 

Based on the vision of shastra, people are divided into four categories, not by birth but by their profession and nature (gunas). The four (varnas) categories are brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra.

These are not only not based on people’s birth but no category is higher or none is lower to the other three. Each one has its place in the scheme of things. It is just that by nature each one chooses a different profession. A brhamana’s job is to learn and teach and not earn money for his living. A kshatriya’s job is to protect and save, a vaishya’s job is to run businesses and create wealth and a shudra’s job is to work and serve. One will be in any of these professions irrespective of the caste he is born into. Even children of the same parents could differ in their varnas based on their nature. Within the family one might choose to be a teacher while one might do business, hence it is possible to have a brahmana and a shudra within the same family based on their nature and chosen profession.

Once one has chosen a profession, he needs to adhere to all the guidelines for that varna. Here Arjuna is a kshatriya. As a kshatriya, Arjuna’s duty is to protect the dharma by fighting against Duryodhana. Krishna says if you consider swadharma of a kshatriya, which is protecting his own people by fighting enemies, there is no better engagement than the war that has come about.

Sankhya Yoga 2.30

Verse 2.30 Closing comments on atma anatma viveka (the descrimination of what is self and nonself)

देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत |

तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि || 30||

dehī nityam avadhyo ’yaṁ dehe sarvasya bhārata

tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi

dehī—the soul that dwells within the body; nityam—always; avadhyaḥ—immortal; ayam—this soul; dehe—in the body; sarvasya—of everyone; bhārata—descendant of Bharat, Arjun; tasmāt—therefore; sarvāṇi—for all; bhūtāni—living entities; na—not; tvam—you; śhochitum—mourn; arhasi—should

O Arjuna, the atma that dwells within the body is immortal; therefore, you should not mourn for anyone.

Krishna concludes by saying there is no reason to grieve

Krishna wants to summarize his teaching he started at verse 11 and concludes by saying the dehi which is the atma that dwells in all bodies (sarvasya dehe) can never be destroyed. He had presented his arguments and justification on the same in all possible ways. The physical body is transient. Hence no one can prevent it from being destroyed. The dehi, atma is eternal and hence it can never be destroyed. So both at the paramarthika (absolute) and at the vyavaharika (transactional) levels one does not have any reason to grieve. Krishna says due to these reasons you do not need to grieve about all these beings (sarvani bhutani). The word sarvani has a significance here. One need not grieve at all for ANY.

Sankhya Yoga 2.29

Verse 2.29 The Praise of Self Knowledge

आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन

माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्य: |

आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति

श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित् || 29||

āśhcharya-vat paśhyati kaśhchid enan

āśhcharya-vad vadati tathaiva chānyaḥ

āśhcharya-vach chainam anyaḥ śhṛiṇoti

śhrutvāpyenaṁ veda na chaiva kaśhchit

āśhcharya-vat—as a wonder; paśhyati—see; kaśhchit—someone; enam—this soul; āśhcharya-vat—as amazing; vadati—speak of; tathā—thus; eva—indeed; cha—and; anyaḥ—other; āśhcharya-vat—similarly amazing; cha—also; enam—this soul; anyaḥ—others; śhṛiṇoti—hear; śhrutvā—having heard; api—even; enam—this soul; veda—understand; na—not; cha—and; eva—even; kaśhchit—some

Some see atma as a wonder, some describe it as a wonder, and some hear of atma as a wonder, while others, even on hearing, cannot understand it at all.

Krishna explains a point mentioned in one of the mantras from Kathopanishad. He wants to establish two things here. Atmana: durbodhatvam - It is not easy to absorb the reality of atma. Guru shishya durlabathvam - It is also rare to come across a qualified guru and a disciple. 

The word ascharyam can mean wonder, abnormal, rare and difficult to achieve.

In any cognition, there will be a distinct difference between the knower and the knowable objects. But atma is not an object to be known; it is the knower himself. One knows atma as himself and not as an object apart from himself. That is why self knowledge is ascharyam, wonder. 

After the thorough enquiry with the shastra, one gains the knowledge that nothing needs to be known. Whosoever has claimed so far that he knows things, is the same person, the person that is the meaning of the word I is also the meaning of the word atma. Hence it is a wonder that one has not attained any new knowledge in obtaining self knowledge. The knower of the self, atma janani  is ascharyam.

The nature of only those things which have any quality, basis for action or a relation to something else can be explained with use of meaningful words. But atma has no quality nor does it engage in any action. It does not have any relation to anything else. But still our teaching tradition has a way of explaining the nature of atma and is able to transfer the self knowledge to the qualified student. Hence the teaching of the self also is ascharyam.

Atma is a wonder in all aspects. The atma that is sat-chit-ananda, existence, consciousness and limitlessness has created this entire universe of names and forms without itself undergoing any transformation. All names and forms are nothing but brahman. The teacher tells the student that the atma that is you is nothing but the brahman. But a qualified teacher is also ascharyam, rare.

By nature, all living beings in this world are born with self ignorance and a bondage due to duality. They also have a desire for freedom from this bondage by nature. But not many know that the only way to attain complete freedom is to listen to shastras, that is to attain self knowledge. Hence people who would listen (shravanam) are ascharyam, rare. 

Krishna starts off by saying only some see this atma as a wonder and then lists out in how many ways atma is a wonder or a rare phenomenon. Here the word seeing must be taken as knowing. We can understand his statement in two ways. We can say people look upon knowing atma as a wonder or we can say people only rarely know atma. In the same manner teachers who are qualified to teach this self knowledge, students who are qualified to listen to the teaching and teaching of atma itself are wonders and are rare to find. Also, very rarely there are people who do not know atma even after going through traditional teaching. He means to say that if one subjects himself to the traditional teaching, there is no way that he will not know the nature of atma.

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.

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?