Bhagavad Gita

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita: Sankhya Yogam: Chapter 2: Verse 19

Bhagavad Gita - krishna

The Soul is Eternal It Does Nothing Nor Does It Change

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|| 2.19||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 2- Ver. 19:

The one who believes the soul can slay and the one who believes the soul can be slain are both ignorant. The soul, after all, neither kills nor can be slain.

Explanation

Arjuna was concerned that he would be held responsible for the deaths of his relatives, which he disliked. However, Shri Krishna advised him to use the logic or perspective of the eternal essence in this Shloka. The everlasting essence does not kill, and it does not die as a result of someone else’s attempt to kill it. The everlasting essence never accomplishes anything, and it never changes or modifies itself.
The Shloka continues, saying that anyone who believes the everlasting essence acts or kills is not practicing viveka or discrimination, and that person lacks the correct insight. The person is still thinking at the level of the material level, or, to put it another way, at the level of the unreal, and hasn’t learned to distinguish between the two.

Verse & What we can learn

The Soul is Eternal and it can neither kill nor get killed. It never performs any action, nor does it undergo any change or modification.

In the next verse, we will see Lord Krishna elaborating on the nature of the soul.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…

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