Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta Shlok Blog -70
Shlok-23
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः । न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ॥ 2-23 ||
English Transcription
Nainam Chindanti Shastraani Nainam Dahati Paawakah | Na Chainam Kledayantyaapo Na Shoshayati Maarutih || 2-23 ||
Hindi Translation
Shastra is shareeri ko kaat nahin sakte, agni isko jala nahin sakti, jal isko geela nahin kar sakta, oe vaayu isko sukha nahin sakti.
English Translation
Weapons do not cut it, fire does not burn it, water does not wet it, and the wind does not parch it.
Meaning
In the previous Shlok, we saw how Shri Krishna taught about moving on and taking a new route to life rather than being stuck at one thing and not progressing in any manner making one’s own step a little steeper each time.
In this Shlok, Shri Krishna will talk about how important it is to know that apart from the soul, there are things like memories and remembrances that too are immortal and they are as precious as the life of the person because they are the only things that make the living still connected with the demised.
There is no piece of equipment that can cut the soul to harm it in any way because there is no equipment that can reach it. Since nothing can reach it, there is no way in which it can be destroyed.
No amount of fire or arson can burn it because there is no ammunition that can help it reach that height. Since fire cannot reach that height anywhere even close, there is no question of burning it down.
Water cannot wet it or destroy it. No other liquid, pure or anyways has enough power to finish it off by wetting it, or drowning it because there is no force in the universe that can individually or as a group unite to create enough fierceness to destroy it. Once again it cannot be reached, it cannot be destroyed.
There is no air that can sway it away or dry it up to finish it off or harm it because it is not tangible for the air to reach it. So air also cannot reach it or create any damage to it.
Hence, the five elements of the universe, namely, soil, water, air, fire, and the huge expanse of sky, nothing has anything enough in it to be able to reach this and either destroy it, finish it, or at least harm it, because it is intangible and yet one of the most powerful forces existing.
Although, in the above statements, everyone has talked about air, fire, water, and types of equipment only and there is no mention of the sky, it is because the sky in itself is nothing as it has no individual powers of its own and it will need the powers of soil, fire, water or air to operate and all these powers are not able to do anything to destroy the soul and remembrances or damage it or finish it or even harm it.
Now, the fact to think about is that the five elements, earth, fire, water, air, and sky make up the entire universe and collectively are the reason for human existence, and yet, they are weaker than human being’s soul and remembrances because all they will do is try to remove the living but the lived cannot be removed and thus, the lived, the soul, the remembrances are far mightier than what it might seem to be or look like.
Also, these five elements give life to the person and they give energy to the person to keep working and executing the necessary tasks so that the order of the universe keeps in check. Thus, this order of the universe had to be managed and thus, these five elements will never try to finish the living and they cannot finish the lived.
Since this is all in a war context, when Arjun says that he will not fight because all his people will die, Shri Krishna says that no one will die. How will anyone die when the body will be gone but the body, the soul, the remembrances, the lived will never be dead because a cutting weapon will not cut that as it is intangible, arson equipment cannot burn it down as again it is intangible, water equipment cannot drown it or weaken it and any air weapon cannot wilt it or dry it to death. So there is nothing that can destroy this or kill these, so there is no use of crying over inevitable and needed just because it will welcome certain changes and there is no point in repenting over it.
Conclusion
There is a common notion that we are all living bodies so any change that will happen too will happen in the living bodies and no one thinks about the dead body or the lived soul. There will be changes in the soul also, but that will be the predecided changes and it is okay because change is mandatory. Now, we all can see that change is happening but the ‘is’ does not change. The body is capable of dying, ‘is’ never dies. The body is bound to burn in fire, ‘is’ does not burn. The body is due to get wet in water, and ‘is’ does not get wet. The body is capable of drying in air, ‘is’ does not dry. The body remains of one type only, the human body, with the brain, heart, and other organs alongside veins, muscles, blood, and aging. The soul can have any form and yet the type is still the same.
That's all about Shlok-23, Chapter-2 of Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta. We'll see you again with Shlok-24, Chapter-2 tomorrow. Till then, keep reading and keep enjoying the little joys of life.
