Changes

3. svagata bhEdam the difference between the attributes of pot . This

3. svagata bhEdam the difference between the attributes of pot . This

attribute difference is the difference between attributes of an entity like the difference between attributes like colour, form, shape, capacity, etc; where one attribute cannot substitute the other. Similarly, there is a difference between Jeevatma and Paramatma along this three bedhams. Paramatma and jeevatma both have intelligence or gyana, but the jeevatma s intelligence is limited by the body it resides. So, here we see sajatiya bedam. Bramham or Paramatma has wisdom and the objects and materials we see do not possess any intellect. This is vijatiya bedam. As God cannot be worshipped if there was no form or He did not possess qualities like mercy, Bramham has forms and qualities and so here the swagata bedam is exhibited. So Bramham has all the three types of bedam. Bhagavan has gunams i.e Saguna Brahmam i.e Kalyaana gunams, Tirumeni etc. Saying Bhagavan has no Gunam, Tirumeni etc (Nirguna Brahamam) is incorrect.<blockquote>देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा । तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति ॥ २-१३॥</blockquote><blockquote>dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati  ॥ 2-13 ॥</blockquote>"As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A brave person is not concerned by such a change." We have seen that Bramham, Chit and Achit as the thatvathrayam and their relationship and differences. Sri Krishna tries to clear the doubt in Arjuna s mind and tells that Atman is eternal and cannot be destroyed. Body is required and we have to take care of it to the extent possible and the perishable nature of it has to be kept in mind. Atman is pure and superior to body. In the previous sloka, Krishna explains that Souls are eternal . So, Arjuna had a doubt, if souls are eternal, then what is the meaning of birth, death etc which we see in the world. In response, Krishna answers with this sloka. Just like a human goes through various stages of life from boyhood, adulthood, old age, undergoing changes in his body and appearance and experiences, but still has the "I" untouched, similarly soul embodies itself in bodies and disembodies as per it's karma. Sankara says "Punarapi Jananam , Punarapi Maranam" in "Bhaja Govindam" i.e a soul goes through cycle of birth and death through the body, though it itself is unchanging. Atma is unchanging, it is nityam. But, when it enters a body,it is called Birth. And when it sheds the body , it is called Death. It is similar to the body itself going through Kumaram, Yauvanam, Jara (old age), but the person itself is the same. It's intresting to note that, there is no grief expressed when a body transitions through these stages of boyhood, youth, old age (infact it is celebrated through

attribute difference is the difference between attributes of an entity like the difference between attributes like colour, form, shape, capacity, etc; where one attribute cannot substitute the other. Similarly, there is a difference between Jeevatma and Paramatma along this three bedhams. Paramatma and jeevatma both have intelligence or gyana, but the jeevatma s intelligence is limited by the body it resides. So, here we see sajatiya bedam. Bramham or Paramatma has wisdom and the objects and materials we see do not possess any intellect. This is vijatiya bedam. As God cannot be worshipped if there was no form or He did not possess qualities like mercy, Bramham has forms and qualities and so here the swagata bedam is exhibited. So Bramham has all the three types of bedam. Bhagavan has gunams i.e Saguna Brahmam i.e Kalyaana gunams, Tirumeni etc. Saying Bhagavan has no Gunam, Tirumeni etc (Nirguna Brahamam) is incorrect.<blockquote>देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा । तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति ॥ २-१३॥</blockquote><blockquote>dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati  ॥ 2-13 ॥</blockquote>"As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A brave person is not concerned by such a change." We have seen that Bramham, Chit and Achit as the thatvathrayam and their relationship and differences. Sri Krishna tries to clear the doubt in Arjuna s mind and tells that Atman is eternal and cannot be destroyed. Body is required and we have to take care of it to the extent possible and the perishable nature of it has to be kept in mind. Atman is pure and superior to body. In the previous sloka, Krishna explains that Souls are eternal . So, Arjuna had a doubt, if souls are eternal, then what is the meaning of birth, death etc which we see in the world. In response, Krishna answers with this sloka. Just like a human goes through various stages of life from boyhood, adulthood, old age, undergoing changes in his body and appearance and experiences, but still has the "I" untouched, similarly soul embodies itself in bodies and disembodies as per it's karma. Sankara says "Punarapi Jananam , Punarapi Maranam" in "Bhaja Govindam" i.e a soul goes through cycle of birth and death through the body, though it itself is unchanging. Atma is unchanging, it is nityam. But, when it enters a body,it is called Birth. And when it sheds the body , it is called Death. It is similar to the body itself going through Kumaram, Yauvanam, Jara (old age), but the person itself is the same. It's intresting to note that, there is no grief expressed when a body transitions through these stages of boyhood, youth, old age (infact it is celebrated through

various rituals!), but when the soul sheds the body (death), it is considered tragedy. Sri Krishna says a brave man will not brood and lament. We see deaths and births. The great philosopher Adi Sankara says punarabi jananam punarabi  maranam  It is a cycle, withbirths and deaths repeating. A soul can get released from this cycle only by uttering Sri Govinda s name, says Adi Sankara. Atman as such is not born. When it contacts and resides in a body we call it birth. When the same atman departs from the body it was residing, we call it death. But atman never dies. In this sloka, atman is referred as dehi. A person is born as a child; he becomes a boy, then a lad and then old man. These changes pertain to body only and not to the soul. Sri Krishna calls him who understands this true nature of the soul a dheera or brave man. When a person becomes a boy after being a child but never laments that he lost his childhood. Similarly an old man does not mourn for the lost youth. On the contrary, we celebrate every stage in our life, like marriages, fatherhood, etc (Seemantham, Punyojanam, Marriage, Saattabhishekam, Kaanakabhishekam etc). The soul in the body- I - has been watching all these changes happening on the body. It is able to remember when the body was of a child and then of youth, etc. We remember when we started learning cycling and similar details. Another great philosopher Madhavcharya, says, we should lament when child becomes youth. Whereas we are happy and celebrate. We should realize that we are going from one phase to another. A worm while moving from one leaf to another, clings to the new leaf and leaves the earlier one. Same thing happening to body also and so there should be no room for worry and concern. A person with such attitude is called dheera. After listening to this explanation , the Lord expects arjuna to reply as  I accept that the body is perishable and the soul is permanent . But the soul is not divorced from the body . I have to bear the suffering due to arrows piercing my body and that of others who are dear to me . How then do you justify this war with respect to the degree of suffering caused ?  This question is answered by the lord in the subsequent slokas .<blockquote>मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः । आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥ २-१४॥</blockquote><blockquote>mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ āgamāpāyino ’nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata</blockquote>

various rituals!), but when the soul sheds the body (death), it is considered tragedy. Sri Krishna says a brave man will not brood and lament. We see deaths and births. The great philosopher Adi Sankara says punarabi jananam punarabi  maranam  It is a cycle, withbirths and deaths repeating. A soul can get released from this cycle only by uttering Sri Govinda s name, says Adi Sankara. Atman as such is not born. When it contacts and resides in a body we call it birth. When the same atman departs from the body it was residing, we call it death. But atman never dies. In this sloka, atman is referred as dehi. A person is born as a child; he becomes a boy, then a lad and then old man. These changes pertain to body only and not to the soul. Sri Krishna calls him who understands this true nature of the soul a dheera or brave man. When a person becomes a boy after being a child but never laments that he lost his childhood. Similarly an old man does not mourn for the lost youth. On the contrary, we celebrate every stage in our life, like marriages, fatherhood, etc (Seemantham, Punyojanam, Marriage, Saattabhishekam, Kaanakabhishekam etc). The soul in the body- I - has been watching all these changes happening on the body. It is able to remember when the body was of a child and then of youth, etc. We remember when we started learning cycling and similar details. Another great philosopher Madhavcharya, says, we should lament when child becomes youth. Whereas we are happy and celebrate. We should realize that we are going from one phase to another. A worm while moving from one leaf to another, clings to the new leaf and leaves the earlier one. Same thing happening to body also and so there should be no room for worry and concern. A person with such attitude is called dheera. After listening to this explanation , the Lord expects arjuna to reply as  I accept that the body is perishable and the soul is permanent . But the soul is not divorced from the body . I have to bear the suffering due to arrows piercing my body and that of others who are dear to me . How then do you justify this war with respect to the degree of suffering caused ?  This question is answered by the lord in the subsequent slokas .<blockquote>मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः । आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥ २-१४॥</blockquote><blockquote>mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ āgamāpāyino ’nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata ॥ 2-14 ॥</blockquote>

2.14. matra-sparshas tu kaunteya ! sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah agama payino anityaH ! tams-  titikshasva bharata "O son of Kunti, the cold and heat and happiness and distress, are transient. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed." O son of Kunti , as a result of the action of basic forces(tanma:tra:s) in the form of shabda , sparsha , roopa , rasa and gandha otherwise speech , sensation , form , fluidity and smell with which the senses come into contact by means of the field of association called samyo:ga , coldness , heat etc are felt. These cause happiness and sorrow in varying proportions. In the state of liberation , such happiness or sorrow are incapable of affecting the soul. Hence you must bear with such happiness and sorrow. In response to previous sloka, Arjuna responds that, if the soul is eternal and moves from body to body, then it will be ok, if the "I" is aware of this change. But, since a person does not know or does not have any proof of this, he is doubtful and grieved at the thought of shedding his body at death! Krishna says in response, that since he is saying this happens, it should be accepted. Great Gnaani's and Yogis know about this. Since individuals are ignorant, they don't realize it. For eg: WHen a sun sets in east, it rises on the other side of the earth. Even though people in east cannot directly infer it, the truth is the sun is visible elsewhere. Thus we believe others in the other part of the world saying that the Sun is still shining. So, He asks Arjuna, 'you believe others but why not what I said about the Atman?'. This is a difficult suggestion. But only when we have this unshakable faith in Him that what He told is the truth and correct, we can be regarded as Bhakthas. This appears to be illogical. There are many yogis and saints, who have seen the atman going from one body to another. They are able to tell what was the previous birth and what the future birth would be. If one cultivates one s knowledge, one can also know all these abstract happenings. So Sri Krishna says that just because Arjuna did not know the traverse from one body to another, he cannot deny that phenomenon. Arjuna says that granting what He said was accepted, why still one should fight and suffer? Even if the body and all matters are momentary, all feel the pain and why should we suffer? Arjuna then has another question, accepting even that soul is eternal, don't we still have to suffer with pain in this body, indulging in warfare ?? Krishna responds that it is true, but a true gnaani should bear it with equanimity. Sri Krishna says that when objectives are exalted, one has to bear these pains. All types of weather (Heat, Cold etc) and all types of situations (Happiness, Grief etc) should be borne with calmness and same attitude by a true gnaani. The basis for all this pain and pleasure is our "TanMaatras" which is INEVITABLE. (Senses and the PanchaBhootams) Maatra - TanMaatra : Pancha Bhootam -Pritvi, Vayu, Apsu, Tejas, Akasaam Pancha Tanmatram - Shabdham, Sparsam, Roopam, Rasam, Gandham - "Gandhavati Pruthvi" (man-Vaasanai SMELL - NOSE) , "Water-Ruchi Rasam TASTE - TONGUE" "Blaze of Fire has a FORM - EYES" , "Roopa Rahita Sparashavaan Vayu - TOUCH SKIN" "Shabdham - SOUND - EAR" Cold and heat and happiness and sorrow should be tolerated. Which are responsible for these feelings? Sri Krishna mentions mathra and contact. Mathra denotes the pancha thanmathra or the five basic feelings related to the five basic elements. The five elements are earth, water, fire, air and space [prithvi, appu, agni, vayu and akasam]. Each of these has a unique characteristic. These characteristics are called the thanmathras. Smell or gandham is earth s feature. Taste or rasam is of water. Appearance or roopam is of fire. Touch or sparsam is of air and sound or shabdam is of space. Each of these thanmathras are felt by specific organs in our body, nose for smell, tongue for taste, eyes for vision, ears for hearing and skin for touch. ELEMENT**** THANMATHRA **** SENSING ORGAN Earth *********smell or scent********* nose Water********* taste***************** tongue Fire************vision or sight ********eyes Air ************touch****************skin Space********** sound**************** ear When there is a contact between the elements and the organs, we get that feeling which is responsible for happiness or sorrow. If this contact or connection was

2.14. matra-sparshas tu kaunteya ! sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah agama payino anityaH ! tams-  titikshasva bharata "O son of Kunti, the cold and heat and happiness and distress, are transient. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed." O son of Kunti , as a result of the action of basic forces(tanma:tra:s) in the form of shabda , sparsha , roopa , rasa and gandha otherwise speech , sensation , form , fluidity and smell with which the senses come into contact by means of the field of association called samyo:ga , coldness , heat etc are felt. These cause happiness and sorrow in varying proportions. In the state of liberation , such happiness or sorrow are incapable of affecting the soul. Hence you must bear with such happiness and sorrow. In response to previous sloka, Arjuna responds that, if the soul is eternal and moves from body to body, then it will be ok, if the "I" is aware of this change. But, since a person does not know or does not have any proof of this, he is doubtful and grieved at the thought of shedding his body at death! Krishna says in response, that since he is saying this happens, it should be accepted. Great Gnaani's and Yogis know about this. Since individuals are ignorant, they don't realize it. For eg: WHen a sun sets in east, it rises on the other side of the earth. Even though people in east cannot directly infer it, the truth is the sun is visible elsewhere. Thus we believe others in the other part of the world saying that the Sun is still shining. So, He asks Arjuna, 'you believe others but why not what I said about the Atman?'. This is a difficult suggestion. But only when we have this unshakable faith in Him that what He told is the truth and correct, we can be regarded as Bhakthas. This appears to be illogical. There are many yogis and saints, who have seen the atman going from one body to another. They are able to tell what was the previous birth and what the future birth would be. If one cultivates one s knowledge, one can also know all these abstract happenings. So Sri Krishna says that just because Arjuna did not know the traverse from one body to another, he cannot deny that phenomenon. Arjuna says that granting what He said was accepted, why still one should fight and suffer? Even if the body and all matters are momentary, all feel the pain and why should we suffer? Arjuna then has another question, accepting even that soul is eternal, don't we still have to suffer with pain in this body, indulging in warfare ?? Krishna responds that it is true, but a true gnaani should bear it with equanimity. Sri Krishna says that when objectives are exalted, one has to bear these pains. All types of weather (Heat, Cold etc) and all types of situations (Happiness, Grief etc) should be borne with calmness and same attitude by a true gnaani. The basis for all this pain and pleasure is our "TanMaatras" which is INEVITABLE. (Senses and the PanchaBhootams) Maatra - TanMaatra : Pancha Bhootam -Pritvi, Vayu, Apsu, Tejas, Akasaam Pancha Tanmatram - Shabdham, Sparsam, Roopam, Rasam, Gandham - "Gandhavati Pruthvi" (man-Vaasanai SMELL - NOSE) , "Water-Ruchi Rasam TASTE - TONGUE" "Blaze of Fire has a FORM - EYES" , "Roopa Rahita Sparashavaan Vayu - TOUCH SKIN" "Shabdham - SOUND - EAR" Cold and heat and happiness and sorrow should be tolerated. Which are responsible for these feelings? Sri Krishna mentions mathra and contact. Mathra denotes the pancha thanmathra or the five basic feelings related to the five basic elements. The five elements are earth, water, fire, air and space [prithvi, appu, agni, vayu and akasam]. Each of these has a unique characteristic. These characteristics are called the thanmathras. Smell or gandham is earth s feature. Taste or rasam is of water. Appearance or roopam is of fire. Touch or sparsam is of air and sound or shabdam is of space. Each of these thanmathras are felt by specific organs in our body, nose for smell, tongue for taste, eyes for vision, ears for hearing and skin for touch. ELEMENT**** THANMATHRA **** SENSING ORGAN Earth *********smell or scent********* nose Water********* taste***************** tongue Fire************vision or sight ********eyes Air ************touch****************skin Space********** sound**************** ear When there is a contact between the elements and the organs, we get that feeling which is responsible for happiness or sorrow. If this contact or connection was

not there, we will not feel. So Sri Krishna says that this sparsam or connectivity

not there, we will not feel. So Sri Krishna says that this sparsam or connectivity

between the organs and the matter [composed of the five elements] happiness, sorrow, heat and cold are felt. This cannot be avoided and inevitable. Similarly, in a fight such pains are inevitable and with that knowledge Arjuna is advised to bear the sufferings. Every person will have to endure what he must . A brahmin or priest who does rituals has to observe severe austerities , suffer from hunger and thirst till the ritual is completed. Similarly what arjuna is doing is a ritual  a ritual for justice . Besides , arjuna is the son of kunti whose fore fathers were great warriors. Arjuna is the descendant of bharatha , another great warrior . Is it justified for one born in the clan of great warriors to shy from pain of war ? Hence the Lord instructs arjuna that the pain from war is to be endured as part of his duty . Even if he runs away from war , he cannot escape pain . This is because sorrow will haunt as long there is body . Until the state of liberation is reached , one will have to endure all happiness and sorrow. There is no escape till then . Such enduration will confer the greater fruit of the soul. 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 Bharata 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.

between the organs and the matter [composed of the five elements] happiness, sorrow, heat and cold are felt. This cannot be avoided and inevitable. Similarly, in a fight such pains are inevitable and with that knowledge Arjuna is advised to bear the sufferings. Every person will have to endure what he must . A brahmin or priest who does rituals has to observe severe austerities , suffer from hunger and thirst till the ritual is completed. Similarly what arjuna is doing is a ritual  a ritual for justice . Besides , arjuna is the son of kunti whose fore fathers were great warriors. Arjuna is the descendant of bharatha , another great warrior . Is it justified for one born in the clan of great warriors to shy from pain of war ? Hence the Lord instructs arjuna that the pain from war is to be endured as part of his duty . Even if he runs away from war , he cannot escape pain . This is because sorrow will haunt as long there is body . Until the state of liberation is reached , one will have to endure all happiness and sorrow. There is no escape till then . Such enduration will confer the greater fruit of the soul. 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 Bharata 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.<blockquote>यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ । समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥ २-१५॥</blockquote><blockquote>yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ so ’mṛtatvāya kalpate  ॥ 2-15 ॥</blockquote>2.15. yam hi na vyatayantye:te: purusham purusharshabha | sama dukha sukham dhi:ram so~mrutatva:ya kalpate:|| " O great of men , The courageous look at their sorrow as happiness itself. One who remains unshaken by the emotions springing out of pleasure or pain is fit for eternity."In the 14th sloka, we saw that the connection with organs and elements creates sorrow or happy feelings. Every doubt expressed here is on behalf of us by Arjuna. He asks why should one bear these twins, happy and sorrow or cold and heat? By getting hurt in this fight, if we are to get any benefits we can bear that pain. Or, if it promises a better world after death also we can tolerate this pain. But the pain is unbearable here and by killing relatives and teachers only hell is assured, so this fight appears to be avoidable, says Arjuna. Arjuna questions, WHY should he bear al the pain?? Is he going to get "return" in this world for bearing the pain?? Or is he going to be benefited in a future life (swargam etc..??)? Arjuna says, he is only guaranteed Narakam by killing his elders in future and in this life he is only going to get pain. So, why should he battle?? Krishna responds : "DhIram" A DhirAm is one who remains poised , patient, unruffled under any circumstance, whether it is joy or sorrow is a true "KarmaYogi" (Dheeran!). For eg: Swami Vivekananda gives an example that a KarmaYogi is one who remains the same in Busy city market or a desert in the same way. The Courageous deem their suffering as inevitable as pleasure itself. To them the waves of pleasure and pain are unavoidable. Therefore they perform their duties assigned to them righteously without an eye on the result or fruit of such exercise. Such action , to them is a means to immortality . O Arjuna , Only a person who is unfazed by any contact, hard or soft such as those resulting from the use of weapons in war , etc; is destined to immortality . You ,being the great of your men , look unable to bear grief . This is not the behaviour of the courageous. The body is bound to perish. The soul is invincible and never loses its existence . So the wise do not grieve for the body that has been already predestined to perish. They don't grieve for the soul as its devoid of death . This much was asserted in 2.11 . The Lord further advised Arjuna in the previous verse to remain undisturbed by pleasure or pain . The reason for adopting the mental state of treating pleasure and pain equally is now put forward. The Lord describes the mental state of the courageous who have nothing to attain but immortality , and hence are not worried about pain or pleasure. And a Person who acts in such a way, is blessed with Liberation. What is this "Amrutatvaya" which Krishna refers here? It is not "Swargam" or "Narakam" (Like Arjuna fears). Liberation is beyond Swargam and Narakam i.e eternal Kaimkaryam to the Lord in Vaikuntam. Pain and Pleasure is constantly arriving and departing in life. The same thing which gives pleasure also gives pain beyond a certain point or in a different situation. eg. In Cold , we wear sweater, blanket etc , but the same blanket etc is thrown out in Summer. Similarly, foods which seems bitter, tasteless etc are normally good for health. Now, how can be a "DhIran" ?? It is the Lord's grace and one's sense of purpose to follow that path. For eg: Freedom fighters in the past bore great pain without demur, which we cannot imagine going through in normal circumstances. Why? Because, they had the great sense of purpose to sacrifice and suffer. The word purusham does not mean male, but atman. Our body is called puri and the one who is dwelling in that puri is purusha. The soul is not different for males and females. <blockquote>नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः । उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥ २-१६॥</blockquote><blockquote>nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ ubhayor api dṛṣṭo ’ntas tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ  ॥ 2-16 ॥</blockquote>2.16. na: Asato: vidhyate: bha:vo: ! na:Abha:vo: vidhyate: sata: | ubhayo:r api drushtah: antah: ! tu-anayo: tatva darshibhi: || Arjuna questions that why should one tolerate and be unruffled with pain and pleasure?? Krishna continues his response, by defining the nature of body and soul in great detail. In this sloka, he says that the very nature of body is changing and never constant and it is "unreal", whereas Soul is constant. Nammazhwar says in his pasuram in TiruvaayMozhi that "Min in Nila Yila, Mann uyir akaaigal ..", that compared to the body a lightning's lifespan is far better , because we all know the life span of lightning, whereas a human life is not even guaranteed that span! Azhwar also sings the same in this pasuram " Illadum uladum, alladum avanuru ...". <nowiki>**</nowiki>Please note: "Unreal" does NOT mean that the body does NOT exist. It means that the body is changing and TEMPORARY. (Advaitains interpret this unreal literally, which is not the view of Vishtadvaita). The literal meaning of anta is end. Here it means the summation or conclusion of the essential natures of sat and asat. The authoritative conclusion arrived at by elevated sages in this matter is that the nature of the physical body is asat being temporary and that the nature of the spiritual soul is sat being eternal. That which is asat is therefore known by its perishable nature and that which is sat is known by its imperishable nature. Hence it is clear that what is indicated by satva and asatva are the soul and the body. Four important terms are defined here: Sat = Atmah Asat = Body BhAvah = Constant and eternal AbhaVah = changing <nowiki>*</nowiki> na: Asato: vidhyate: bha:vo: -> Body is NOT constant and eternal (i.e it is constantly changing) <nowiki>*</nowiki> na: Abha:vo: vidhyate: sata: -> Atmah is NOT changing (it is

 

2.15. yam hi na vyatayantye:te: purusham purusharshabha | sama dukha sukham dhi:ram so~mrutatva:ya kalpate:|| " O great of men , The courageous look at their sorrow as happiness itself. One who remains unshaken by the emotions springing out of pleasure or pain is fit for eternity."In the 14th sloka, we saw that the connection with organs and elements creates sorrow or happy feelings. Every doubt expressed here is on behalf of us by Arjuna. He asks why should one bear these twins, happy and sorrow or cold and heat? By getting hurt in this fight, if we are to get any benefits we can bear that pain. Or, if it promises a better world after death also we can tolerate this pain. But the pain is unbearable here and by killing relatives and teachers only hell is assured, so this fight appears to be avoidable, says Arjuna. Arjuna questions, WHY should he bear al the pain?? Is he going to get "return" in this world for bearing the pain?? Or is he going to be benefited in a future life (swargam etc..??)? Arjuna says, he is only guaranteed Narakam by killing his elders in future and in this life he is only going to get pain. So, why should he battle?? Krishna responds : "DhIram" A DhirAm is one who remains poised , patient, unruffled under any circumstance, whether it is joy or sorrow is a true "KarmaYogi" (Dheeran!). For eg: Swami Vivekananda gives an example that a KarmaYogi is one who remains the same in Busy city market or a desert in the same way. The Courageous deem their suffering as inevitable as pleasure itself. To them the waves of pleasure and pain are unavoidable. Therefore they perform their duties assigned to them righteously without an eye on the result or fruit of such exercise. Such action , to them is a means to immortality . O Arjuna , Only a person who is unfazed by any contact, hard or soft such as those resulting from the use of weapons in war , etc; is destined to immortality . You ,being the great of your men , look unable to bear grief . This is not the behaviour of the courageous. The body is bound to perish. The soul is invincible and never loses its existence . So the wise do not grieve for the body that has been already predestined to perish. They don't grieve for the soul as its devoid of death . This much was asserted in 2.11 . The Lord further advised Arjuna in the previous verse to remain undisturbed by pleasure or pain . The reason for adopting the mental state of treating pleasure and pain equally is now put forward. The Lord describes the mental state of the courageous who have nothing to attain but immortality , and hence are not worried about pain or pleasure. And a Person who acts in such a way, is blessed with Liberation. What is this "Amrutatvaya" which Krishna refers here? It is not "Swargam" or "Narakam" (Like Arjuna fears). Liberation is beyond Swargam and Narakam i.e eternal Kaimkaryam to the Lord in Vaikuntam. Pain and Pleasure is constantly arriving and departing in life. The same thing which gives pleasure also gives pain beyond a certain point or in a different situation. eg. In Cold , we wear sweater, blanket etc , but the same blanket etc is thrown out in Summer. Similarly, foods which seems bitter, tasteless etc are normally good for health. Now, how can be a "DhIran" ?? It is the Lord's grace and one's sense of purpose to follow that path. For eg: Freedom fighters in the past bore great pain without demur, which we cannot imagine going through in normal circumstances. Why? Because, they had the great sense of purpose to sacrifice and suffer. The word purusham does not mean male, but atman. Our body is called puri and the one who is dwelling in that puri is purusha. The soul is not different for males and females.  

 

2.16. na: Asato: vidhyate: bha:vo: ! na:Abha:vo: vidhyate: sata: | ubhayo:r api drushtah: antah: ! tu-anayo: tatva darshibhi: || Arjuna questions that why should one tolerate and be unruffled with pain and pleasure?? Krishna continues his response, by defining the nature of body and soul in great detail. In this sloka, he says that the very nature of body is changing and never constant and it is "unreal", whereas Soul is constant. Nammazhwar says in his pasuram in TiruvaayMozhi that "Min in Nila Yila, Mann uyir akaaigal ..", that compared to the body a lightning's lifespan is far better , because we all know the life span of lightning, whereas a human life is not even guaranteed that span! Azhwar also sings the same in this pasuram " Illadum uladum, alladum avanuru ...". <nowiki>**</nowiki>Please note: "Unreal" does NOT mean that the body does NOT exist. It means that the body is changing and TEMPORARY. (Advaitains interpret this unreal literally, which is not the view of Vishtadvaita). The literal meaning of anta is end. Here it means the summation or conclusion of the essential natures of sat and asat. The authoritative conclusion arrived at by elevated sages in this matter is that the nature of the physical body is asat being temporary and that the nature of the spiritual soul is sat being eternal. That which is asat is therefore known by its perishable nature and that which is sat is known by its imperishable nature. Hence it is clear that what is indicated by satva and asatva are the soul and the body. Four important terms are defined here: Sat = Atmah Asat = Body BhAvah = Constant and eternal AbhaVah = changing <nowiki>*</nowiki> na: Asato: vidhyate: bha:vo: -> Body is NOT constant and eternal (i.e it is constantly changing) <nowiki>*</nowiki> na: Abha:vo: vidhyate: sata: -> Atmah is NOT changing (it is

eternal). The Lord uses two Negatives here , instead of one positive. So, it's slightly confusing, but it is done to lay emphasis. <nowiki>*</nowiki>The above two truths about Body and Soul, were seen (drustah:) have been said by great seers. The property of the body is asat . It cannot be designated as sat. The property of the soul is sat and similarly it cannot be referred as asat. This is the ultimate truth as has been asserted by the word "anta:h" and has been seen by the intellects of truth or sages. Asat denotes perishability. Sat denotes constancy . Thus the conclusion drawn is this "the body is perishable , the soul is constant." Sva:mi Para:shara said , "tasma:t vigna:namruthe: kinchith kacitkada:ciddvija vastuja:tam sadbha:vam e:vam bhavato: mayo:  kto: gna:nam yatha: satyamasatyamanyata". [Meaning : "O Twice born(or brahmin) , it is a straight conclusion barring the soul there is no other quantity even in meagre measure that is free of perishability . Thus I have taught you that the soul is that which is the truth . Everything else is asatyam or devoid of constancy.] It has also been mentioned in the Vishnu pura:na "yatu ka:la:ntare:Na:pi na:naya:m

eternal). The Lord uses two Negatives here , instead of one positive. So, it's slightly confusing, but it is done to lay emphasis. <nowiki>*</nowiki>The above two truths about Body and Soul, were seen (drustah:) have been said by great seers. The property of the body is asat . It cannot be designated as sat. The property of the soul is sat and similarly it cannot be referred as asat. This is the ultimate truth as has been asserted by the word "anta:h" and has been seen by the intellects of truth or sages. Asat denotes perishability. Sat denotes constancy . Thus the conclusion drawn is this "the body is perishable , the soul is constant." Sva:mi Para:shara said , "tasma:t vigna:namruthe: kinchith kacitkada:ciddvija vastuja:tam sadbha:vam e:vam bhavato: mayo:  kto: gna:nam yatha: satyamasatyamanyata". [Meaning : "O Twice born(or brahmin) , it is a straight conclusion barring the soul there is no other quantity even in meagre measure that is free of perishability . Thus I have taught you that the soul is that which is the truth . Everything else is asatyam or devoid of constancy.] It has also been mentioned in the Vishnu pura:na "yatu ka:la:ntare:Na:pi na:naya:m

sagnya:mupaiti vai | pariNa:madi sambhu:ta:m tat vastu nrupa taccha kim ? " [Meaning: "Which is that O king , that over the periods of change undergoes no modification in terms of its identity (i.e.. it receives no names) ?"  the implication being the soul. The Lord Himself says in 2-18 , "antavanta ime: de:ha:h" [Meaning: These bodies will have an end"] and "avina:shi tu tadviddhi"[Meaning: Know that the soul is indestructible] in 2-17. To achieve something, there is always some struggle involved. To win a race, it needs practice and enduring the rigors of the race. Similarly, a woman gives birth to a child and has to endure pain, but at the end of it , she enjoys the bliss and company of the baby. For doing great in exam, students struggle but it pays off at results time. Krishna is saying the same here to Arjuna, saying even if he avoids this war, he can't escape fighting as a kshatriya. Body's very nature is change. Atma's very nature is unchanging. But how is it that the souls imperishable nature is known? The next verse states this.  

sagnya:mupaiti vai | pariNa:madi sambhu:ta:m tat vastu nrupa taccha kim ? " [Meaning: "Which is that O king , that over the periods of change undergoes no modification in terms of its identity (i.e.. it receives no names) ?"  the implication being the soul. The Lord Himself says in 2-18 , "antavanta ime: de:ha:h" [Meaning: These bodies will have an end"] and "avina:shi tu tadviddhi"[Meaning: Know that the soul is indestructible] in 2-17. To achieve something, there is always some struggle involved. To win a race, it needs practice and enduring the rigors of the race. Similarly, a woman gives birth to a child and has to endure pain, but at the end of it , she enjoys the bliss and company of the baby. For doing great in exam, students struggle but it pays off at results time. Krishna is saying the same here to Arjuna, saying even if he avoids this war, he can't escape fighting as a kshatriya. Body's very nature is change. Atma's very nature is unchanging. But how is it that the souls imperishable nature is known? The next verse states this. <blockquote>अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् । विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति ॥ २-१७॥</blockquote><blockquote>avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam vināśam avyayasyāsya na kaścit kartum arhati</blockquote>2.17. avinasi tu tad viddhi !yena sarvam idam tatam vinasam avyayas-yasya na kascit kartum arhati "That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul." Krishna explains in this sloka , why the Atma is eternal and never perishes. In the 16th sloka He told about the everlasing nature of the soul and the fleeting nature of the body. In this (17th )sloka He gives the reason for the eternity of the soul and in the 18th sloka the reasons for the perishable quality of body. In this sloka, krishna says that which pervades the body is indestructible. He refers to Soul as unperishable. No one or Nothing can destroy the soul. Why? That's the inherent nature of the soul. Note: The allusion here is that there are NUMEROUS Souls! The soul in one body is different from the soul in another body. This disputes the "Advaitic" theory of only One Soul. ANother intresting thing to note is, Krishna says only a "subtlel" element only destroys a "grosser" element and not in the reverse. For eg: An arrow or a Bullet which is Sukshmam annhilates a Sthulam eg. Man, Elephant etc. But, not the reverse. Using this logic, since Soul is the smallest atom i.e most subtle (Sukshmam), there is nothing or anybody which can perish it, so it is Eternal! THis is the reasoning Krishna mentions here to support the assertion that Soul is eternal. Know that the self in its essential nature is imperishable. The whole of insentient matter, which is different (from the self), is pervaded by the self. Because of pervasiveness and extreme subtlety, the self cannot be destroyed; for every entity other than the self is capable of being pervaded by the self, and hence they are grosser than It. Destructive agents like weapons, water, wind, fire etc., pervade the substances to be destroyed and disintegrate them. Even hammers and such other instruments rouse wind through violent contact with the objects and thereby destroy their objects. So, the essential nature of the self being subtler than anything else, It is imperishable. Agents like fire , water or wind pervade the substances and cause destruction. Striking objects are guided by force cutting the air . Destruction is caused by forces which are subtle essentially. The destroyed objects are gross and manifest.So for destruction to be effected , the destroying agent must be subtler than the object destroyed. The soul is subtler than everything else . Hence it is free of destruction. That is, only sookshmam [minute] will destroy sthoolam [enormity] and as a corollary sthoolam can never destroy sookshmam. Since atman is the tiniest and there is nothing else smaller than atman, it cannot be destroyed. Let us examine the veracity of this Law. A stout rod destroys a small earthen pot. Apparently,it is contrary to the law mentioned now in that the bigger rod destroyed the smaller pot. But actually, the enormity has not destroyed the pot. If that was true then a big bundle of cotton if thrown on the pot should have broken the pot. Similarly, if the rod were just kept on the pot, the pot remains without breaking. So a massive rod alone is not responsible for breaking the pot. Even a throw cannot break the pot as we saw throwing cotton bundle could not break it. So it is seen that a rod and a force are needed to break the pot. This is also not enough. If the pot were at one place and if we swipe the rod with force at another place, the pot will not break. Because a contact between the rod and pot is essential to break the pot. So, we can now conclude that to break a pot, a mass, a force and a contact are needed. Science tells that mass and velocity [or acceleration] produce force or power and this in a minute form acts at the contact point to destroy. We can remember the famous equation E [energy]= m [mass] Xc*2 [velocity]. Thus the law is observed to be true. An invisible minute power destroyed the pot. That is why Sri Krishna says that atman without a smaller entity being available, can never be destroyed. The soul is described as one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair point in size. The Svetasvatara Upanisad confirms this: balagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca bhago jivah sa vijneyah sa canantyaya 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) In the Mundaka Upanisad the measurement of the atomic spirit soul is further explained: eso 'nur atma cetasa veditavyo yasmin pranah pancadha samvivesa pranais cittam sarvam otam prajanam yasmin visuddhe vibhavaty esa atma "The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. This atomic soul is floating in the five kinds of air [prana, apana, vyana, samana and udana], is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodied living entities. When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material air, its spiritual influence is exhibited." (Mund. 3.1.9) In Tatparya Chandrikai, Swami Desikan says that it's true that Jeevatma is more subtle and Sukshmamam and nothing can destroy it. But, isn't Paramaatma is more subtle (Sukshmam) than Jeevatma. Shastras says that Paramaatma is " Anoraniyan, MahatoMaHiyaan, Atmauhaayaam ...". So, can't Paramatma be the reason for destroying Jeevatma?? Atleast potentially ? (Remember the analogy: SimCard is the atma and Cellphone is the body; Next, with just Simcard, cell phone will not work; It needs to catch signal from Tower to work. Tower is similar to Paramatma. Though in this case, the paramatma is inside Jeevatma and not outside. Another example: Injection. Inserting a needle inside the body is required to put the medicine inside the body. Similarly the needle is like Jeevatma and the medicine inside needle is the Paramatma.) Nammazhwar says "Udal Misai Uyir Enna, Karand Engum Parand Ulan ....", which confirms that Paramatma is inside every Jeevatma. Now the question arises, can't Paramatma destroy Jeevatma ?? This causes a dilemma ! If we say, Paramatma can destroy Jeevatma, then it negates the fact that Jeevatma is indestructible! But, if we say Paramatma cannot destroy Jeevatma, then it negates the fact that Paramatma is "Sarva Shakti" (attributes of Bhagavan). Swami Desikan says that "Paramatma" definitely has the capability to destroy "Jeevatma", since he is Bhagavan. But, Paramatama has taken "Sankalpam" NOT to destroy Jeevatma. {Satyam Satyam Punah Satyam! Udbrhishta Bhujam Uchyateh!... )<blockquote>अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ताः शरीरिणः । अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत ॥ २-१८॥</blockquote><blockquote>antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ anāśino ’prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva bhārata</blockquote>2.18. antavanta ime: deha:h nityasyokta: Sari:riNah | ana:shino:~aprame:yasya tasma:t yudhyasva bha:rata || In the last slo:ka , it was clearly established that the soul is to be eternal . In this slo:ka it is being ascertained on the pillars of the holy scriptures that the body which houses the soul is inherently prone to destruction . Basically the arguments in this slo:ka and the last are soul-centric. While the last slo:ka explains the soul's nature of being undestroyed , this one puts across a view of contrasting the eternal nature of soul with the property of destruction inherently dwelling in the body . Hence the Lord advises , "Grieve not . Fight!" (The Lord) now says that the bodies are perishable and the reason for it. The very nature of Body is perishable. He gives three reasons for it in this sloka. The immeasurable (aprameyasya) and

 

2.17. avinasi tu tad viddhi !yena sarvam idam tatam vinasam avyayas-yasya na kascit kartum arhati "That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul." Krishna explains in this sloka , why the Atma is eternal and never perishes. In the 16th sloka He told about the everlasing nature of the soul and the fleeting nature of the body. In this (17th )sloka He gives the reason for the eternity of the soul and in the 18th sloka the reasons for the perishable quality of body. In this sloka, krishna says that which pervades the body is indestructible. He refers to Soul as unperishable. No one or Nothing can destroy the soul. Why? That's the inherent nature of the soul. Note: The allusion here is that there are NUMEROUS Souls! The soul in one body is different from the soul in another body. This disputes the "Advaitic" theory of only One Soul. ANother intresting thing to note is, Krishna says only a "subtlel" element only destroys a "grosser" element and not in the reverse. For eg: An arrow or a Bullet which is Sukshmam annhilates a Sthulam eg. Man, Elephant etc. But, not the reverse. Using this logic, since Soul is the smallest atom i.e most subtle (Sukshmam), there is nothing or anybody which can perish it, so it is Eternal! THis is the reasoning Krishna mentions here to support the assertion that Soul is eternal. Know that the self in its essential nature is imperishable. The whole of insentient matter, which is different (from the self), is pervaded by the self. Because of pervasiveness and extreme subtlety, the self cannot be destroyed; for every entity other than the self is capable of being pervaded by the self, and hence they are grosser than It. Destructive agents like weapons, water, wind, fire etc., pervade the substances to be destroyed and disintegrate them. Even hammers and such other instruments rouse wind through violent contact with the objects and thereby destroy their objects. So, the essential nature of the self being subtler than anything else, It is imperishable. Agents like fire , water or wind pervade the substances and cause destruction. Striking objects are guided by force cutting the air . Destruction is caused by forces which are subtle essentially. The destroyed objects are gross and manifest.So for destruction to be effected , the destroying agent must be subtler than the object destroyed. The soul is subtler than everything else . Hence it is free of destruction. That is, only sookshmam [minute] will destroy sthoolam [enormity] and as a corollary sthoolam can never destroy sookshmam. Since atman is the tiniest and there is nothing else smaller than atman, it cannot be destroyed. Let us examine the veracity of this Law. A stout rod destroys a small earthen pot. Apparently,it is contrary to the law mentioned now in that the bigger rod destroyed the smaller pot. But actually, the enormity has not destroyed the pot. If that was true then a big bundle of cotton if thrown on the pot should have broken the pot. Similarly, if the rod were just kept on the pot, the pot remains without breaking. So a massive rod alone is not responsible for breaking the pot. Even a throw cannot break the pot as we saw throwing cotton bundle could not break it. So it is seen that a rod and a force are needed to break the pot. This is also not enough. If the pot were at one place and if we swipe the rod with force at another place, the pot will not break. Because a contact between the rod and pot is essential to break the pot. So, we can now conclude that to break a pot, a mass, a force and a contact are needed. Science tells that mass and velocity [or acceleration] produce force or power and this in a minute form acts at the contact point to destroy. We can remember the famous equation E [energy]= m [mass] Xc*2 [velocity]. Thus the law is observed to be true. An invisible minute power destroyed the pot. That is why Sri Krishna says that atman without a smaller entity being available, can never be destroyed. The soul is described as one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair point in size. The Svetasvatara Upanisad confirms this: balagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca bhago jivah sa vijneyah sa canantyaya 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) In the Mundaka Upanisad the measurement of the atomic spirit soul is further explained: eso 'nur atma cetasa veditavyo yasmin pranah pancadha samvivesa pranais cittam sarvam otam prajanam yasmin visuddhe vibhavaty esa atma "The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. This atomic soul is floating in the five kinds of air [prana, apana, vyana, samana and udana], is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodied living entities. When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material air, its spiritual influence is exhibited." (Mund. 3.1.9) In Tatparya Chandrikai, Swami Desikan says that it's true that Jeevatma is more subtle and Sukshmamam and nothing can destroy it. But, isn't Paramaatma is more subtle (Sukshmam) than Jeevatma. Shastras says that Paramaatma is " Anoraniyan, MahatoMaHiyaan, Atmauhaayaam ...". So, can't Paramatma be the reason for destroying Jeevatma?? Atleast potentially ? (Remember the analogy: SimCard is the atma and Cellphone is the body; Next, with just Simcard, cell phone will not work; It needs to catch signal from Tower to work. Tower is similar to Paramatma. Though in this case, the paramatma is inside Jeevatma and not outside. Another example: Injection. Inserting a needle inside the body is required to put the medicine inside the body. Similarly the needle is like Jeevatma and the medicine inside needle is the Paramatma.) Nammazhwar says "Udal Misai Uyir Enna, Karand Engum Parand Ulan ....", which confirms that Paramatma is inside every Jeevatma. Now the question arises, can't Paramatma destroy Jeevatma ?? This causes a dilemma ! If we say, Paramatma can destroy Jeevatma, then it negates the fact that Jeevatma is indestructible! But, if we say Paramatma cannot destroy Jeevatma, then it negates the fact that Paramatma is "Sarva Shakti" (attributes of Bhagavan). Swami Desikan says that "Paramatma" definitely has the capability to destroy "Jeevatma", since he is Bhagavan. But, Paramatama has taken "Sankalpam" NOT to destroy Jeevatma. {Satyam Satyam Punah Satyam! Udbrhishta Bhujam Uchyateh!... )

 

2.18. antavanta ime: deha:h nityasyokta: Sari:riNah | ana:shino:~aprame:yasya tasma:t yudhyasva bha:rata || In the last slo:ka , it was clearly established that the soul is to be eternal . In this slo:ka it is being ascertained on the pillars of the holy scriptures that the body which houses the soul is inherently prone to destruction . Basically the arguments in this slo:ka and the last are soul-centric. While the last slo:ka explains the soul's nature of being undestroyed , this one puts across a view of contrasting the eternal nature of soul with the property of destruction inherently dwelling in the body . Hence the Lord advises , "Grieve not . Fight!" (The Lord) now says that the bodies are perishable and the reason for it. The very nature of Body is perishable. He gives three reasons for it in this sloka. The immeasurable (aprameyasya) and

indestructible(aNasinah) soul(Sari:riNah) gets a perishable (anta-vantah) body (deha:h) as per it's Karmas. The Soul is eternal (Nityasya). Note: Immeasurable i.e aPrameyasya means something which cannot be comprehended or measured (Prameyam is something we can imagine or comprehend). Ime -> all these i.e which we can see. What? This is the PanchaBhootam out of which Body is made. Anything which is made of panchaBhootam is destructible (eg: take example of Upma, which is a mixture of salt, water, flour etc and has a lifespan of just a day, compared to years of the salt, water, flour etc individually). Whereas, Soul is made of Gnaanam and is eternal. dehAh -> Upachayam (grown) and Apachayam(dimimish). Body is subject to growth and decay. Body has external features like legs, hands,eyes, ears, nose etc, unlike Atma. Atma is sukshmam and is unchanged. The term deha meaning body is derived from the word dih meaning to increase and correspondingly those bodies having increase must also have decrease and therefore are of a perishable nature. The elements combine to form the body dictated by karma ato render service to the imperishable soul to enable the living entity to experience the positive and negative fruits of their actions. In the Brihad- aranyaka Upanisad it is stated: by accruring merit one becomes meritorious. A living entity is forced to accept a body only until all ones positive and negative karma is exhausted and then the physical body is no longer bound to exist in the physical plane. Sareerinah(Jeevatma), Sarirah(Body) -> Sareeram is by it's very nature subject to decay, because it's purpose to exhaust the good and bad karmas of Jeevatma. The body is called de:ha , Sari:ra etc; This principally qualifies that the body is composed of parts . As it is composed of parts , destruction or damage of individual parts means destruction of body. Further , the body is understood to be composed of five elements . As new matter cannot be created from nothingness , its the elements that have transformed into body . To rediscover the elements , its only imperative that the body shed into its elements . Hence , the passing existence of the body is beyond doubt or debate . Sari:riNah denotes the proprietor of the body , that is the soul . A man owns his house. His house could be quite strong or weak, tall or small , vast or compact . If there are holes on the roof of his house , he suffers during rain . Otherwise , he comfortably protects himself . The house , depending on its nature decided the comfort or trouble of its owner. Similarly the body decides the pleasure or pain of the soul .The soul dwells in the body. The bodies are different because of the differences in good or bad actions (karma) of the indwelling soul. Accordingly the soul begets the good or bad results stemming out of his actions through the body. As it is understood that the body is merely an enclosure for the soul , that provides pain or pleasure in accordance to the soul's karma , its again inferred easily that the body cannot exist for ever. It will cease to exist once the pleasure or pain that was consigned to it , to be conferred upon the soul are all exhausted. Hence , it can be concluded that the body is of temporal existence. The body is therefore of transient existence as it is 1.composed of parts (Posseses organs, limbs etc) 2.macroscopic allowing further addition of macroscopic objects like food to enter it ( its not eternal or permanent and its composition is often altered) 3.built or transformed from the five elements (Pancha Bhootam ) 4.only an enclosure for serving on the soul the fruits of pain or pleasure consigned to it. (Vehicle to perform karma) But the soul is eternal because it is 1.not composed of parts 2.not pervaded or added by other macroscopic material 3.a unit in itself and not built from elements (it is pure Gyaana only) 4. the real sufferer/enjoyer of cycles of pain and pleasure through the body (beneficiary of karma) Whatever part of the body falls or decays , the soul remains the same . The cognition of 'I' is independent of the body. Whether the body is put to disease or disability , the 'I' factor always remains unaltered. Pain is sensed in the hand or leg etc; when it comes to body level. But talking at the level of soul , there is no headache of soul or legsore . The soul suffers as a unit . It is not built on any parts. It cannot be transformed into anything new. The conscious is eternal , irrespective of the nature or the state of the body. Experience may come in different forms but ultimately its the 'I' , that forms the focal point of all experience. What is cognized as 'I' is the soul. So, in summary, the three main differences between Jeevatma and Body is that Body is made of PANCHABOOTAMS, Body has external attributes, Body's purpose to exhaust the Karma of the Jeevatma, whereas Soul is "Jnaanam", is "sukshamam". (In the 17th sloka, Krishna reasoned that Atma is Nityam because its is Sukshmam(subtle) and Pervasive. In the 18th sloka, he reasons that Body is temporary because it's made of PanchaBhootas, is a vehicle to exhaust Karma and is subject to change i.e growth and decay. So, in summary, Atma is eternal and Body is temporary). Going by the science elucidated above , its clear that it is not just that the soul is eternal , it "alone" is . The body is bound to perish. So the eternal of eternals , the Lord tells Arjuna , " Your grief is unjustified on any account . Rise and fight." Now a question arises on why Krishna has to go to such depths to explain the temporary nature of the Body. It's well known that Body is temporary and decayable by common observation. However, it is not so and there are reasons to make this much of effort to say. Firstly, atman is not perishable like Him, the Paramatma. This is affirmative comparison. In a negative comparison, the atman is not like the body, which perishes. So, to establish the superiority of atman, destructible body is compared. Just as we come across dos and don ts in our daily  life, two types of examples were needed to show the indestructible quality of atman and so comparison with body was necessary. Krishna does so to emphasize that even if Arjuna doesn't battle, the demise of body of his opposition is anyway foregone. Next, krishna also says this to people who are worried about their continued misery, saying the bodily misery is temporary and we have to do our duty. Another reason is, it's a sign for people who spend lot of time and money decorating themselves in a artificial sense and Krishna says irrespective of all the "alankaram" being done to body, it's just artificial and doesn't change it's temporary nature. Importantly, by understanding that body is temporary, Krishna wants us to build "Vairagyam" (Detachment), knowing that Soul is permanent.

indestructible(aNasinah) soul(Sari:riNah) gets a perishable (anta-vantah) body (deha:h) as per it's Karmas. The Soul is eternal (Nityasya). Note: Immeasurable i.e aPrameyasya means something which cannot be comprehended or measured (Prameyam is something we can imagine or comprehend). Ime -> all these i.e which we can see. What? This is the PanchaBhootam out of which Body is made. Anything which is made of panchaBhootam is destructible (eg: take example of Upma, which is a mixture of salt, water, flour etc and has a lifespan of just a day, compared to years of the salt, water, flour etc individually). Whereas, Soul is made of Gnaanam and is eternal. dehAh -> Upachayam (grown) and Apachayam(dimimish). Body is subject to growth and decay. Body has external features like legs, hands,eyes, ears, nose etc, unlike Atma. Atma is sukshmam and is unchanged. The term deha meaning body is derived from the word dih meaning to increase and correspondingly those bodies having increase must also have decrease and therefore are of a perishable nature. The elements combine to form the body dictated by karma ato render service to the imperishable soul to enable the living entity to experience the positive and negative fruits of their actions. In the Brihad- aranyaka Upanisad it is stated: by accruring merit one becomes meritorious. A living entity is forced to accept a body only until all ones positive and negative karma is exhausted and then the physical body is no longer bound to exist in the physical plane. Sareerinah(Jeevatma), Sarirah(Body) -> Sareeram is by it's very nature subject to decay, because it's purpose to exhaust the good and bad karmas of Jeevatma. The body is called de:ha , Sari:ra etc; This principally qualifies that the body is composed of parts . As it is composed of parts , destruction or damage of individual parts means destruction of body. Further , the body is understood to be composed of five elements . As new matter cannot be created from nothingness , its the elements that have transformed into body . To rediscover the elements , its only imperative that the body shed into its elements . Hence , the passing existence of the body is beyond doubt or debate . Sari:riNah denotes the proprietor of the body , that is the soul . A man owns his house. His house could be quite strong or weak, tall or small , vast or compact . If there are holes on the roof of his house , he suffers during rain . Otherwise , he comfortably protects himself . The house , depending on its nature decided the comfort or trouble of its owner. Similarly the body decides the pleasure or pain of the soul .The soul dwells in the body. The bodies are different because of the differences in good or bad actions (karma) of the indwelling soul. Accordingly the soul begets the good or bad results stemming out of his actions through the body. As it is understood that the body is merely an enclosure for the soul , that provides pain or pleasure in accordance to the soul's karma , its again inferred easily that the body cannot exist for ever. It will cease to exist once the pleasure or pain that was consigned to it , to be conferred upon the soul are all exhausted. Hence , it can be concluded that the body is of temporal existence. The body is therefore of transient existence as it is 1.composed of parts (Posseses organs, limbs etc) 2.macroscopic allowing further addition of macroscopic objects like food to enter it ( its not eternal or permanent and its composition is often altered) 3.built or transformed from the five elements (Pancha Bhootam ) 4.only an enclosure for serving on the soul the fruits of pain or pleasure consigned to it. (Vehicle to perform karma) But the soul is eternal because it is 1.not composed of parts 2.not pervaded or added by other macroscopic material 3.a unit in itself and not built from elements (it is pure Gyaana only) 4. the real sufferer/enjoyer of cycles of pain and pleasure through the body (beneficiary of karma) Whatever part of the body falls or decays , the soul remains the same . The cognition of 'I' is independent of the body. Whether the body is put to disease or disability , the 'I' factor always remains unaltered. Pain is sensed in the hand or leg etc; when it comes to body level. But talking at the level of soul , there is no headache of soul or legsore . The soul suffers as a unit . It is not built on any parts. It cannot be transformed into anything new. The conscious is eternal , irrespective of the nature or the state of the body. Experience may come in different forms but ultimately its the 'I' , that forms the focal point of all experience. What is cognized as 'I' is the soul. So, in summary, the three main differences between Jeevatma and Body is that Body is made of PANCHABOOTAMS, Body has external attributes, Body's purpose to exhaust the Karma of the Jeevatma, whereas Soul is "Jnaanam", is "sukshamam". (In the 17th sloka, Krishna reasoned that Atma is Nityam because its is Sukshmam(subtle) and Pervasive. In the 18th sloka, he reasons that Body is temporary because it's made of PanchaBhootas, is a vehicle to exhaust Karma and is subject to change i.e growth and decay. So, in summary, Atma is eternal and Body is temporary). Going by the science elucidated above , its clear that it is not just that the soul is eternal , it "alone" is . The body is bound to perish. So the eternal of eternals , the Lord tells Arjuna , " Your grief is unjustified on any account . Rise and fight." Now a question arises on why Krishna has to go to such depths to explain the temporary nature of the Body. It's well known that Body is temporary and decayable by common observation. However, it is not so and there are reasons to make this much of effort to say. Firstly, atman is not perishable like Him, the Paramatma. This is affirmative comparison. In a negative comparison, the atman is not like the body, which perishes. So, to establish the superiority of atman, destructible body is compared. Just as we come across dos and don ts in our daily  life, two types of examples were needed to show the indestructible quality of atman and so comparison with body was necessary. Krishna does so to emphasize that even if Arjuna doesn't battle, the demise of body of his opposition is anyway foregone. Next, krishna also says this to people who are worried about their continued misery, saying the bodily misery is temporary and we have to do our duty. Another reason is, it's a sign for people who spend lot of time and money decorating themselves in a artificial sense and Krishna says irrespective of all the "alankaram" being done to body, it's just artificial and doesn't change it's temporary nature. Importantly, by understanding that body is temporary, Krishna wants us to build "Vairagyam" (Detachment), knowing that Soul is permanent.