Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (15 page)

Bg 2.13

TEXT 13

TEXT

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

SYNONYMS

dehinaḥ-
of the embodied;
asmin-
in this;
yathā-
as;
dehe-
in the body;
kaumāram-
boyhood;
yauvanam-
youth;
jarā-
old age;
tathā-
similarly;
dehāntara-
transference of the body;
prāptiḥ-
achievement;
dhīraḥ-
the sober;
tatra-
thereupon;
na-
never;
muhyati-
deluded.

TRANSLATION

As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.

PURPORT

Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his body every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a youth, and sometimes as an old man. Yet the same spirit soul is there and does not undergo any change. This individual soul finally changes the body at death and transmigrates to another body; and since it is sure to have another body in the next birth-either material or spiritual-there was no cause for lamentation by Arjuna on account of death, neither for Bhīṣma nor for Droṇa, for whom he was so much concerned. Rather, he should rejoice for their changing bodies from old to new ones, thereby rejuvenating their energy. Such changes of body account for varieties of enjoyment or suffering, according to one's work in life. So Bhīṣma and Droṇa, being noble souls, were surely going to have either spiritual bodies in the next life, or at least life in heavenly bodies for superior enjoyment of material existence. So, in either case, there was no cause of lamentation.

Any man who has perfect knowledge of the constitution of the individual soul, the Supersoul, and nature-both material and spiritual-is called a
dhīra
or a most sober man. Such a man is never deluded by the change of bodies. The Māyāvādī theory of oneness of the spirit soul cannot be entertained on the ground that spirit soul cannot be cut into pieces as a fragmental portion. Such cutting into different individual souls would make the Supreme cleavable or changeable, against the principle of the Supreme Soul being unchangeable.

As confirmed in the
Gītā,
the fragmental portions of the Supreme exist eternally
(sanātana)
and are called
kṣara;
that is, they have a tendency to fall down into material nature. These fragmental portions are eternally so, and even after liberation, the individual soul remains the same-fragmental. But once liberated, he lives an eternal life in bliss and knowledge with the Personality of Godhead. The theory of reflection can be applied to the Supersoul who is present in each and every individual body and is known as the Paramātmā, who is different from the individual living entity. When the sky is reflected in water, the reflections represent both the sun and the moon and the stars also. The stars can be compared to the living entities and the sun or the moon to the Supreme Lord. The individual fragmental spirit soul is represented by Arjuna, and the Supreme Soul is the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. They are not on the same level, as it will be apparent in the beginning of the Fourth Chapter. If Arjuna is on the same level with Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is not superior to Arjuna, then their relationship of instructor and instructed becomes meaningless. If both of them are deluded by the illusory energy
(māyā),
then there is no need of one being the instructor and the other the instructed. Such instruction would be useless because, in the clutches of
māyā,
no one can be an authoritative instructor. Under the circumstances, it is admitted that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, superior in position to the living entity, Arjuna, who is a forgotten soul deluded by
māyā.

Bg 2.14

TEXT 14

TEXT

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya

śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ

āgamāpāyino 'nityās

tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata

SYNONYMS

mātrā-
sensuous;
sparśāḥ-
perception;
tu-
only;
kaunteya
-O son of Kuntī;
śīta-
winter;
uṣṇa-
summer;
sukha-
happiness;
duḥkha-daḥ-
giving pain;
āgama-
appearing;
apāyinaḥ-
disappearing;
anityāḥ-
nonpermanent;
tān-
all of them;
titikṣasva-
just try to tolerate;
bhārata
-O descendant of the Bhārata dynasty.

TRANSLATION

O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.

PURPORT

In the proper discharge of duty, one has to learn to tolerate nonpermanent appearances and disappearances of happiness and distress. According to Vedic injunction, one has to take his bath early in the morning even during the month of
Māgha
(January-February). It is very cold at that time, but in spite of that a man who abides by the religious principles does not hesitate to take his bath. Similarly, a woman does not hesitate to cook in the kitchen in the months of May and June, the hottest part of the summer season. One has to execute his duty in spite of climatic inconveniences. Similarly, to fight is the religious principle of the
kṣatriyas,
and although one has to fight with some friend or relative, one should not deviate from his prescribed duty. One has to follow the prescribed rules and regulations of religious principles in order to rise up to the platform of knowledge because by knowledge and devotion only can one liberate himself from the clutches of
māyā
(illusion).

The two different names of address given to Arjuna are also significant. To address him as Kaunteya signifies his great blood relations from his mother's side; and to address him as Bhārata signifies his greatness from his father's side. From both sides he is supposed to have a great heritage. A great heritage brings responsibility in the matter of proper discharge of duties; therefore, he cannot avoid fighting.

Bg 2.15

TEXT 15

TEXT

yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete

puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha

sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ

so 'mṛtatvāya kalpate

SYNONYMS

yam-
one who;
hi-
certainly;
na-
never;
vyathayanti-
are distressing;
ete-
all these;
puruṣam-
to a person;
puruṣarṣabha-
is best among men;
sama-
unaltered;
duḥkha-
distress;
sukham-
happiness;
dhīram-
patient;
saḥ-
he;
amṛtatvāya-
for liberation;
kalpate-
is considered eligible.

TRANSLATION

O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation.

PURPORT

Anyone who is steady in his determination for the advanced stage of spiritual realization and can equally tolerate the onslaughts of distress and happiness is certainly a person eligible for liberation. In the
varṇāśrama
institution, the fourth stage of life, namely the renounced order
(sannyāsa)
is a painstaking situation. But one who is serious about making his life perfect surely adopts the
sannyāsa
order of life in spite of all difficulties. The difficulties usually arise from having to sever family relationships, to give up the connection of wife and children. But if anyone is able to tolerate such difficulties, surely his path to spiritual realization is complete. Similarly, in Arjuna's discharge of duties as a
kṣatriya,
he is advised to persevere, even if it is difficult to fight with his family members or similarly beloved persons. Lord Caitanya took
sannyāsa
at the age of twenty-four, and His dependants, young wife as well as old mother, had no one else to look after them. Yet for a higher cause He took
sannyāsa
and was steady in the discharge of higher duties. That is the way of achieving liberation from material bondage.

Bg 2.16

TEXT 16

TEXT

nāsato vidyate bhāvo

nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ

ubhayor api dṛṣṭo 'ntas

tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ

SYNONYMS

na-
never;
asataḥ-
of the nonexistent;
vidyate-
there is;
bhāvaḥ-
endurance;
na-
never;
abhāvaḥ-
changing quality;
vidyate-
there is;
sataḥ-
of the eternal;
ubhayoḥ-
of the two;
api-
verily;
dṛṣṭaḥ-
observed;
antaḥ-
conclusion;
tu-
but;
anayoḥ-
of them;
tattva-
truth;
darśibhiḥ-
by the seers.

TRANSLATION

Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent there is no endurance, and of the existent there is no cessation. This seers have concluded by studying the nature of both.

PURPORT

There is no endurance of the changing body. That the body is changing every moment by the actions and reactions of the different cells is admitted by modern medical science; and thus growth and old age are taking place in the body. But the spirit soul exists permanently, remaining the same despite all changes of the body and the mind. That is the difference between matter and spirit. By nature, the body is ever changing, and the soul is eternal. This conclusion is established by all classes of seers of the truth, both impersonalist and personalist. In the
Viṣṇu Purāṇa
it is stated that Viṣṇu and His abodes all have self-illuminated spiritual existence. "
Jyotīṁṣi viṣṇur bhavanāni viṣṇuḥ.
"
The words existent and nonexistent refer only to spirit and matter. That is the version of all seers of truth.

This is the beginning of the instruction by the Lord to the living entities who are bewildered by the influence of ignorance. Removal of ignorance involves the reestablishment of the eternal relationship between the worshiper and the worshipable and the consequent understanding of the difference between the part and parcel living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can understand the nature of the Supreme by thorough study of oneself, the difference between oneself and the Supreme being understood as the relationship between the part and the whole. In the
Vedānta-sūtras,
as well as in the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
the Supreme has been accepted as the origin of all emanations. Such emanations are experienced by superior and inferior natural sequences. The living entities belong to the superior nature, as it will be revealed in the Seventh Chapter. Although there is no difference between the energy and the energetic, the energetic is accepted as the Supreme, and energy or nature is accepted as the subordinate. The living entities, therefore, are always subordinate to the Supreme Lord, as in the case of the master and the servant, or the teacher and the taught. Such clear knowledge is impossible to understand under the spell of ignorance, and to drive away such ignorance the Lord teaches the
Bhagavad-gītā
for the enlightenment of all living entities for all time.

Bg 2.17

TEXT 17

TEXT

avināśi tu tad viddhi

yena sarvam idaṁ tatam

vināśam avyayasyāsya

na kaścit kartum arhati

SYNONYMS

avināśi-
imperishable;
tu-
but;
tat-
that;
viddhi-
know it;
yena-
by whom;
sarvam-
all of the body;
idam-
this;
tatam-
widespread;
vināśam-
destruction;
avyayasya-
of the imperishable;
asya-
of it;
na kaścit-
no one;
kartum-
to do;
arhati-
able.

TRANSLATION

Know that which pervades the entire body is indestructible. No one is able to destroy the imperishable soul.

PURPORT

This verse more clearly explains the real nature of the soul, which is spread all over the body. Anyone can understand what is spread all over the body: it is consciousness. Everyone is conscious of the pains and pleasures of the body in part or as a whole. This spreading of consciousness is limited within one's own body. The pains and pleasures of one body are unknown to another. Therefore, each and every body is the embodiment of an individual soul, and the symptom of the soul's presence is perceived as individual consciousness. This soul is described as one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair point in size. The
Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad
confirms this:

bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca
bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate.

"When the upper point of a hair is divided into one hundred parts and again each of such parts is further divided into one hundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the dimension of the spirit soul."
(Svet.
5.9) Similarly, in the
Bhāgavatam
the same version is stated: