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Chapter 02, Verse 15
यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ |
समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥ 15 ॥
yam hi na vyathayanty eye purusham purusharshabha |
sama-duhkha-sukham dhiram so mritatvaya kalpate || 15 ||
Word-by-Word Analysis
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
|
यम् (yam) |
Whom |
|
हि (hi) |
Indeed |
|
न (na) |
Not |
|
व्यथयन्ति (vyathayanti) |
Distress, agitate |
|
एते (ete) |
These (dualities) |
|
पुरुषम् (purusham) |
The person |
|
पुरुषर्षभ (purusharshabha) |
O best among men (Arjuna) |
|
सम (sama) |
Equal |
|
दुःख (duhkha) |
In pain |
|
सुखम् (sukham) |
In pleasure |
|
धीरम् (dhiram) |
The wise person |
|
सः (sah) |
He |
|
अमृतत्वाय (amritatvaya) |
For immortality (liberation) |
|
कल्पते (kalpate) |
Is fit, qualifies |
Translation
“O Arjuna, the person who is not elated by happiness and upset by distress, and who has steady understanding in both of these is qualified for liberation (immortality).”
Context of the Verse
This verse continues Krishna’s instruction about equanimity and spiritual wisdom. Krishna teaches Arjuna the path of Self-knowledge and Self-realization, by vedanta, which focuses on becoming steadfast, changeless and building resilience within oneself.
Life has great delights and debilitating pain, great achievement and great failure, great joy and great sorrow. As someone wise (dhiram) is not too elated in happiness or too down in sorrow. “When Krishna advises Arjuna as he battles his ego, he is referring to sham — steadiness of mind,” Krishna says, calling Arjuna “purusharshabha” (best among men), even while exhorting him to cultivate this steadiness within instead of succumbing to emotion while we fight. Such a person who prepares himself for attaining equanimity (sama-duhkha-sukham) makes himself eligible for moksa (spiritual liberation). It is here the verse lightly hints at a certain stoic detachment which is essential to achieving true freedom.
Explanation
The very influential word that is used here is ‘Amrit Atvar Kalpathy Amritha immortality or immortality’. This is the aim of life. So one might ask, what is with all the austerities? The pastas are recommended. Why endure with these physical suffering. And because this physical suffering gives eternity to the world of the soul, there is not going to be any more reason to receive more bodies. Material bodies accompanied by the accompanying suffering of birth, old age, disease and death.
So if we can endure the happiness and the distress, if we are connected neither by material happiness nor are we shaken by material distress, the as such a person becomes eligible for Amritha immortality, ‘Amrita athai kalpathy’.
These are among the wealthiest people on the planet funding research aimed at extending human life, perhaps forever. Here God is telling the standard procedures. In fact, the spiritual life is nothing but scientific discipline to reach that status of immortality and to get the philosophy of answers for every problem of life.
Chapter 02, Verse 16
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सत:।
उभयोरपि दृष्टोन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभि:॥ 16 ॥
nasato vidyate bhavo nabhavo vidyate satah ।
ubha yor api drstontas tv anayos tattvadarsibhih ॥ 16 ॥
Word-by-Word Analysis
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
|
नासतः (nasatah) |
Of the unreal, or the non-existent |
|
विद्यते (vidyate) |
There exists |
|
भाव: (bhavah) |
Existence, being, or nature |
|
न (na) |
Not |
|
आभाव: (abhavah) |
Non-existence, absence of being |
|
विद्यते (vidyate) |
There exists |
|
सत: (satah) |
Of the real, or the eternal |
|
उभयो: (ubhayor) |
Of both (the real and the unreal) |
|
अपि (api) |
Also |
|
दृष्टान्त: (drstantah) |
Example or analogy |
|
तु (tu) |
But |
|
अनयो: (anayoh) |
Of these two (the real and the unreal) |
|
तत्त्वदर्शिभि: (tattvadarsibhih) |
By those who know the truth, or by the wise ones |
Translation
“The unreal has no existence; the real never ceases to exist. The seekers of truth have decided this.”
Context of the Verse
This verse is the continuation of the Sankhya Yoga (Yoga of Knowledge) where Lord Krishna speaks about the eternal nature of soul and temporary nature of physical body from Chapter 2 of Bhagavad Gita.
Herein, Lord Krishna is answering Arjuna’s doubt regarding Life and Death. Arjuna is despondent at the thought of fighting and killing his relatives, friends, and teachers, and all what life means or doesn’t mean. The ultimate truth that will help to achieve liberation is known as the Krishna teachings the material existence which is mutable is unreal compared to the eternal soul (Atman) which is unending.
Explanation
Arjuna is crying, so Krishna tells, You should cry for the substance and not for illusion, if at all you wish to cry. There are many things in the world which we perceive as real but are non-existent, just like water in the desert that is actually called a mirage. It is an illusion, we see water, but water is not there.
In a similar fashion, Krishna is telling us that before crying you should understand whether that thing is reality or illusion. Thus, all the philosophers have always been wondering what reality is and what illusion is. Am I dreaming right now? How would a person know if one is dreaming or not? Even what I’m touching this desk I’m touching. Is this a dream or is this reality? What exists and what does not exist? How do we understand that? So here Lord Krishna is quoting the version of the Seers of truth. How can we understand what reality is and what illusion is? Krishna has explained it just in one verse.
Chapter 02, Verse 17
अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् |
विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति ॥ 17 ॥
avinashi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam |
vinasham avyayasyasya na kashchit kartum arhati || 17 ||
Word-by-Word Analysis
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
|
अविनाशि (Avinashi) |
Indestructible |
|
तु (tu) |
But |
|
तत् (tat) |
That (soul/consciousness) |
|
विद्धि (viddhi) |
Know, understand |
|
येन (yena) |
By which |
|
सर्वम् (sarvam) |
All, everything |
|
इदम् (idam) |
This (universe) |
|
ततम् (tatam) |
Pervaded |
|
विनाशम् (vinasham) |
Destruction |
|
अव्ययस्य (avyayasya) |
Of the imperishable |
|
अस्य (asya) |
Of this |
|
न (na) |
not |
|
कश्चित् (kashchit) |
Anyone |
|
कर्तुम् (kartum) |
To do |
|
अर्हति (arhati) |
Is able |
Translation
“Know that which pervades this entire universe to be indestructible. No one can kill the imperishable (everlasting) soul.”
Context of the Verse
This verse continues the teachings that Krishna has given regarding the nature of the eternal self (atman). Here Krishna describes the indestructibility of the soul (atman) and that it pervades all existence.
The soul as opposed to the body, which dies, will not die. This is a basic principle taught in Vedanta. Krishna says the soul pervades everywhere (sarvam idam tatam). This means that consciousness has an all-pervasive nature and is not restricted in the body. They can kill you, but they can’t kill the soul, because the soul cannot be destroyed in this way. This supports the perennial wisdom about immortal spirit.