Chapter 2 Verse 13

 Verse 13

 

देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा |

तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति || 13||

Transliteration

DehinosminyathA dehe kaumAraM yauvanaM jarA.

tathA dehAntaraprAptirdhIRastatra na muhyati..13..

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Word-by-word meaning:

देहिनः – one who dwells in the body; अस्मिन् – in this; यथा – as; देहे- in the body; कौमारं – childhood; यौवनं – youth; जरा – old-age; तथा- thus; देहान्तर – another body; प्राप्तिः – attainment; धीरः – the wise;तत्र​ -  there; न -  do not; मुह्यति- grieve;

Meaning:

Just as this body undergoes the stages of – Childhood, Youth and Old-age, so is this attainment of another body (by the soul). The wise people do not grieve over this.

Significance:

After proving the ‘Eternal’ nature of the Soul in the previous verse, Lord Krishna here says that the change of bodies will not affect the Soul in any way. The individual remains the same when he is in childhood, in youth and in old age – which are the different and unavoidable changes of our body. Same way the soul remains the same when it changes from one body to another. A person who is not enlightened with the knowledge of the nature of soul worries for birth and death. That is why the knowledge of the soul is said to be the foundation of Indian Philosophy. 

Chapter 2 Verse 12

 

Verse 12

 

न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपा |

न चैव न भविष्याम: सर्वे वयमत: परम् || 12||

 

Transliteration

Na tvevAhaM jAtu nAsaM na tvaM neme janAdhipA.

Na caiva na bhaviSyAmaH sarve vayamataH param.. 12 ..

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Word by word meaning

न – not; तु एव अहं – only me; जातु – at anytime; नासं – not exist न – not; त्वं – you; नेमे – not these; जनाधिपा – kings; न – not; च एव – and only;न – not ; भविष्याम: - we will exist; सर्वे – all; वयम् - of us; अतः - from now; परम् – after;

Meaning:

There was no time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings, nor in the future from now after this, we shall exist.

Significance:

We all know this – In physics we have that matter can never be created nor destroyed, this verse re-iterates this same law. The knowledge of the self is the first step for gaining the knowledge of the Supreme. Lord Krishna too begins His teaching by imparting the knowledge of the self to Arjuna. As Arjuna worries about the death of his kith and kin, Lord says the self is the amsha/a micro part of the Supreme. And the nature of Supreme is that it exists always and there is not a single moment where there is a non-existence of the Supreme. The existence of the Soul in all the three states – creation , existence and destruction is said in this verse.

Chapter 2 Verse 11

Verse 11

श्रीभगवानुवाच

अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे |

गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिता: | | 11 | |

Transliteration

Shri BhagavAnuvAca

ashocyAnanvashocastvaM pragnyavAdAMshca bhAshase.

gatAsUnagatAsUMshca nAnusocanti paNDitAH ..

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Word by word meaning

असोच्यान् – not worthy of sorrow;अनु-अशोच: - grieving; त्वं – you; प्रज्ञा-वादां – who (is a person of) words of wisdom; च – and; भाषसे – speak; गतासून् – dead ; अगतासून् – living ; च – and; न – not; अनुशोचन्ति – worry; पण्डिता: - scholars;

Meaning

Arjuna, you seem to be a person who speak words of wisdom but, you worry for those which is not worthy of being worried,. The wise people do not grieve for who are dead or who are alive.

Significance

          Arjunas words have arised from his attachment towards his friends and relatives. Krishna says “ you are lamenting for what is not worthy of grieving” This is because , if Arjuna is lamenting for this body – which is perishable in nature, it is a foolish act, for it is subject to destruction. If Arjuna is lamenting for the soul – again it is a foolish act , for soul is eternal and non-perishable in nature. In both the cases the act of Arjuna is not justified.

           Here the word “wise” is used to address those people who know the nature of self. They are those people who have studied the sacred texts ,who have started living by them, who have put the spiritual upliftment ahead of their materialistic pleasures, who have started meditating upon the Supreme soul, who have understood that the Supreme soul is the ultimate reality. Those people will never lament in such situations for they know there is no birth or death for the soul, and therefore there is no cause for grief and also the body is subject to change , its birth and death are natural , and therefore one need not grieve for it also.

 

 

Chapter 2 Verse 10

 

Verse 10

तमुवाच हृषीकेश: प्रहसन्निव भारत |

सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये विषीदन्तमिदं वच: || 10||

Transliteration

tamuvAca hrushikesha prahasanniva bhArata.

Senayorubhayormadhye vishIdantamidaM vacaH..10..

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Word by word meaning

तम् – (to)him; उवाच – told; हृषीकेश: - hrishikesha; प्रहसन् – smile; इव​ – like; भारत – descendant of Bharatha; सेनयोः - उभयोः – of both the armies; मध्ये- in the middle; विषीदन्तम -grief-stricken; इदं – these; वच: - words;

Meaning

O Descendant of Bharatha, to him, who is grief stricken, who is in the middle of both the armies, Hrishikesha who is as though smiling uttered these words.

Significance

In the previous verse Arjuna says he surrenders himself to Lord Krishna and becomes silent. Now Krishna starts speaking with a smile. The word प्रहसन्निव is used here, which can also be used to denote a sarcastic smile. Krishna who sees Arjuna lamenting in an inappropriate place wanted to ensure if he is ready to listen to his words.