Changes

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. <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  ॥ 2-17 ॥</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 ॥ 2-18 ॥</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

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  ॥ 2-17 ॥</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 ॥ 2-18 ॥</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

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.<blockquote>य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं यश्चैनं मन्यते हतम् । उभौ तौ न विजानीतो नायं हन्ति न हन्यते ॥ २-१९॥</blockquote><blockquote>ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ yaś cainaṁ manyate hatam ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate ॥ 2-19 ॥</blockquote>2.19. ya-enam vetti hantaram! yas cainam manyate hatam ubhau tau na vijanitah! nA-yam hanti na-hanyate There is nothing or anybody which can destroy a soul. A soul cannot be killed nor is there anything which can destroy a soul. Thus a Soul is eternal. The two types of people, i.e one who thinks there is something which kills this Atma or that Soul gets killed, are ignorant. Whoever doesn't understand this, doesn't have true knowledge. Now, a moral dilemma arises. In shastras, there are statements which advices us not to treat and kill other Jeevas (animals, humans, trees etc Na Himsyaat Sarva BhutaanI). But, here Krishna says that a Soul can never be destroyed or killed by anybody or anything. Isn't it contradictory? Does the Shastras means "Body" shouldn't be injured and not refers to Soul? Not really, since after the soul leaves the body, body perishes by itself. The reason is, when Shastras warn us not to mistreat or harm other creatures, it means that we shouldn't "separate" a body and it's soul, because we have no right to do it!! (source: Katavalli Upanishad). We may think, perhaps the shastras only ask us not to kill the bodies of other creatures. When Veda says cow slaughter should be avoided, does it mean the body of the cow should not be hurt? This is also not correct. Because, when someone dies, the body is cremated by igniting fire to the body. None calls this as himsa or hurting. So the shastras instruct us not to harm a body which is living or when the soul is inside. Therefore, the implication is that one should not cause maranam [death]. Maranam means mruth prana thyagena. That is separation of atman from the body and the Vedas advise us not to do this separation. So, the correct interpretation of the shastras is that, we are not authorized to separate the soul from the body. Conclusion: 1.The scriptures don't talk of destroying the body alone.(dead body) 2. The scriptures ban unrighteous separation of soul from body. This is called non-violence theory or policy of ahimsa. 3. In case of situations like righteous war, the scriptures allow the action of separaton of soul from body. This is only to establish righteousness . As the soul is indestructible and cannot be destroyed by any agent, its ignorance to think that one can destroy the "very existence" itself even in righteous actions like war. The soul continues to exist even after the action of "killing" known to the world.  

 

य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं यश्चैनं मन्यते हतम् । उभौ तौ न विजानीतो नायं हन्ति न हन्यते ॥ २-१९॥

 

ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ yaś cainaṁ manyate hatam ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate ॥ 2-19 ॥

 

2.19. ya-enam vetti hantaram! yas cainam manyate hatam ubhau tau na vijanitah! nA-yam hanti na-hanyate There is nothing or anybody which can destroy a soul. A soul cannot be killed nor is there anything which can destroy a soul. Thus a Soul is eternal. The two types of people, i.e one who thinks there is something which kills this Atma or that Soul gets killed, are ignorant. Whoever doesn't understand this, doesn't have true knowledge. Now, a moral dilemma arises. In shastras, there are statements which advices us not to treat and kill other Jeevas (animals, humans, trees etc Na Himsyaat Sarva BhutaanI). But, here Krishna says that a Soul can never be destroyed or killed by anybody or anything. Isn't it contradictory? Does the Shastras means "Body" shouldn't be injured and not refers to Soul? Not really, since after the soul leaves the body, body perishes by itself. The reason is, when Shastras warn us not to mistreat or harm other creatures, it means that we shouldn't "separate" a body and it's soul, because we have no right to do it!! (source: Katavalli Upanishad). We may think, perhaps the shastras only ask us not to kill the bodies of other creatures. When Veda says cow slaughter should be avoided, does it mean the body of the cow should not be hurt? This is also not correct. Because, when someone dies, the body is cremated by igniting fire to the body. None calls this as himsa or hurting. So the shastras instruct us not to harm a body which is living or when the soul is inside. Therefore, the implication is that one should not cause maranam [death]. Maranam means mruth prana thyagena. That is separation of atman from the body and the Vedas advise us not to do this separation. So, the correct interpretation of the shastras is that, we are not authorized to separate the soul from the body. Conclusion: 1.The scriptures don't talk of destroying the body alone.(dead body) 2. The scriptures ban unrighteous separation of soul from body. This is called non-violence theory or policy of ahimsa. 3. In case of situations like righteous war, the scriptures allow the action of separaton of soul from body. This is only to establish righteousness . As the soul is indestructible and cannot be destroyed by any agent, its ignorance to think that one can destroy the "very existence" itself even in righteous actions like war. The soul continues to exist even after the action of "killing" known to the world.  

2.20. na jAyate mriyate va kadacit ! nAyam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah ! ajo nityah sasvato yam purano ! na hanyate  hanyamAne sarire ! "For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He was not born at the time of kalpa, does not disappear at the end of kalpa. He is unborn, eternal, unchanging and very ancient. He is not slain when the body is slain." The soul never takes birth or dies. The soul is unborn , beyond destruction , without any changes in their intrinsic state and remains FRESH even after being many ages old. It is not formed at the beginning of creation and it is not destroyed at the end of this world. The soul remains even as the body perishes. Soul is -> "ajah:" (unborn), "Nitya:"(eternal), "Sasvatah:"(not subject to modification), "Puranah" (pura-apinavah: -> always fresh;-) ), forever(kadacit). The word purana means ancient. Etymologically it stems from purapi navah meaning old yet new illustrating that the eternal soul although ancient is experienced with every birth as ever new. Thus it has been clarified that the physical body only perishes but never can the eternal soul perish. The 17th sloka dealt with the reasoning that since there is not a smaller entity than the atman, it is indestructible. In the 18th sloka, since the body was a composite of the five elements and since it was growing and waning, it is destroyable. In the 19th sloka, it was told that he, who does not understand this true nature of atman and body, is not a wise man. Having stated so, now in the 20th sloka, Sri Krishna establishes that atman does not undergo any changes whatsoever. In this slokam, Krishna says that Soul is not only eternal and indestructible, but it is not subject to any change, at ANY time. This is to address the doubt Arjuna had on whether the Soul was "indestructible and not subject to change", just now or in last 1000 years and probably it has a "manufacturing and expiry" date?. Krishna says emphatically that soul is "ALWAYS" eternal, unborn, without death and unchanging. Now, we will have a doubt. In shastras, it is mentioned that the lifespan of a human is less than Devas , which is less than Brahma etc.. (eg: 1 human year is equal to 1 day for deva). 4 Yugas = 4,320,000 years * 1000 is the span of Brahma for one kalpa, when Shrusti and Pralayam takes place. Krishna says here, that Soul is never born or dead during any of this times, whether it is Shrusthi, Pralayam, Kalpa or a human life span!! Now, another question arises, since the souls are eternal, are we Paramatma?? No, Jeevatmas are separate from Paramatma. Due to ignorance and material contact, we have lost this true knowledge. Based on our karmas, the soul takes bodies accordingly. In an inanimate object, also soul exists, but it has no way to increase it's understanding. Beyond, inanimate objects is trees, then animals, then human, then devas etc. When it acheives true knowledge, it reaches "paramapadam" to live eternally with Paramatma. Each of this body, gives the soul a potential to gain the true nature of itself. Soul is not subject to the six types of change, like body! But, intrestingly, even though Soul is eternal, it appears to be changing as per the body it takes.It's similar to we wearing different types and colors of dresses every day! Even though we are the same person, our external appearance seems to change as per the dress we wear! This Self (Atman) is destitute of the six types of transformation or Bhava-Vikaras such as birth, existence, growth, transformation, decline and death. As It is indivisible (Akhanda). It does not diminish in size. It neither grows nor does It decline. It is ever the same. Birth and death are for the physical body only. Birth and death cannot touch the immortal, all-pervading Self. The understanding that the eternal soul is never slain is being confirmed by its freedom from the six changes of material existence being: birth, existence, growth, modification, decay and death which are controlling all living entities high and low in the material existence. The Supreme Lord by declaring the eternal soul is not born confirms the absence of any birth and by declaring the eternal soul does not die confirms the absence of any destruction. The word va occurring twice is used in the sense of and as in and the immortal soul does not come into existence by birth. The immortal soul is already by nature itself eternal. So existence by conception is proven false due to the fact the eternal soul is birthless. That which is conceived attains existence after birth; but that which already eternally exists by its own nature cannot be conceived again. This is the purport of this verse. Constant means not subject to modification. This confirms the absence of growth. Eternal confirms the absence of decay. Ancient confirms the absence of ageing ever beyond time the eternal soul is ageless. Thus there is never a repetition regarding the existence of the eternal soul and the six changes of the physical of birth, existence, growth, modification, decay and death mentioned by Yaksa and other expounders of the Vedic scriptures as to the nature of things in this world never is applicable to the eternal soul which factually every living entity born from a womb possesses. The imperishable nature of the soul and the fact that the six changes of the physical body have no influence on it which is the topic presently under discussion has now been satisfactorily concluded and so it is confirmed that the eternal soul does not perish when the body perishes. In the Katha Upanisad also we find a similar passage which reads: na jayate mriyate va vipascin nayam kutascin na vibhuva kascit ajo nityah sasvato 'yam purano na hanyate hanyamane sarire (Katha 1.2.18) The meaning and purport of this verse is the same as in the Bhagavad-gita, but here in this verse there is one special word, vipascit, which means learned or with knowledge. The soul is full of knowledge, or full always with consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is the symptom of the soul. Even if one does not find the soul within the heart, where he is situated, one can still understand the presence of the soul simply by the presence of consciousness. Sometimes we do not find the sun in the sky owing to clouds, or for some other reason, but the light of the sun is always there, and we are convinced that it is therefore daytime. As soon as there is a little light in the sky early in the morning, we can understand that the sun is in the sky. Similarly, since there is some consciousness in all bodies--whether man or animal--we can understand the presence of the soul. This consciousness of the soul is, however, different from the consciousness of the Supreme because the supreme consciousness is all-knowledge--past, present and future. The consciousness of the individual soul is prone to be forgetful. When he is forgetful of his real nature, he obtains education and enlightenment from the superior lessons of Krsna. The soul is full of knowledge, or full always with consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is the symptom of the soul. Even if one does not find the soul within the heart, where he is situated, one can still understand the presence of the soul simply by the presence of consciousness. Sometimes we do not find the sun in the sky owing to clouds, or for some other reason, but the light of the sun is always there, and we are convinced that it is therefore daytime. As soon as there is a little light in the sky early in the morning, we can understand that the sun is in the sky. Similarly, since there is some consciousness in all bodies--whether man or animal--we can understand the presence of the soul. This consciousness of the soul is, however, different from the consciousness of the Supreme because the supreme consciousness is all-knowledge--past, present and future. The consciousness of the individual soul is prone to be forgetful. When he is forgetful of his real nature, he obtains education and enlightenment from the superior lessons of Krsna. The great deluge [pralayam] is called kalpa. At the start of the kalpa, Brahma creates everything in this Universe. At that time also the atman is not created. Nor the atmans perish at the end of a kalpa. When a child is born, at that time an atman chooses that body and is born. Atman is there in everything. It is in this plant and in that pillar. One may wonder how atman can be in those inanimate objects. But if we examine closely, even our body is inanimate and we know atman is there. So, there is atman in all materials also. The only difference is that the atman in our body can develop his knowledge while, the atman in the pillar has no scope for wisdom. The atman in that pillar is there to expend the karma he had acquired and the moment that is over, that atman will depart that pillar and reside in another body. The magnitude of the wisdom of the atman in any body is determined by its past karma. If the wisdom is, let us say, 0%, it resides in an inanimate body like pillar. A slightly higher intellectual makes the soul to take a bird s body or animal s body. More wisdom makes the soul to take    bodies of human beings or devas or even a Brahma. So the ranking of the knowledge decides the body that soul will be residing. The up and down in gyana or wisdom is only found in atmans. Once, the soul has taken a body, he tries to develop his wisdom and seek a higher level and ultimately, resides in the Sri Vaikuntam or His abode from where there is no more return for the atman to lower planes like this earth. Thus atman is eternal and never undergoes any change. Sri Krishna calls atman as purana. Pura api navaha puranaha is the Sanskrit meaning for the word purana. It means to say that it is very ancient and at the same time fresh or novel. Atman also is ancient but appears fresh everyday. It is common knowledge that we seek changes so as to avoid monotonous, which can be boring and dull. We rearrange our surroundings. We change our dress. So Arjuna feels that an unchanging and static atman might cause boredom. Sri Krishna allays such thoughts and says that atman is fresh everyday with more and better knowledge. This is a greatness of atman that though he is changeless, he appears afresh every time. Like Sri Aravamudan of Thirukkudanthai [Kumbakonam], Alwar says, every time he visits Him, he finds Him revealing Himself differently. We listen to Sri Ramayana. But every time we listen it refreshes our knowledge. So He now tells Arjuna that by killing Bheeshma, he will not kill the atman of Bheeshma.  

2.20. na jAyate mriyate va kadacit ! nAyam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah ! ajo nityah sasvato yam purano ! na hanyate  hanyamAne sarire ! "For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He was not born at the time of kalpa, does not disappear at the end of kalpa. He is unborn, eternal, unchanging and very ancient. He is not slain when the body is slain." The soul never takes birth or dies. The soul is unborn , beyond destruction , without any changes in their intrinsic state and remains FRESH even after being many ages old. It is not formed at the beginning of creation and it is not destroyed at the end of this world. The soul remains even as the body perishes. Soul is -> "ajah:" (unborn), "Nitya:"(eternal), "Sasvatah:"(not subject to modification), "Puranah" (pura-apinavah: -> always fresh;-) ), forever(kadacit). The word purana means ancient. Etymologically it stems from purapi navah meaning old yet new illustrating that the eternal soul although ancient is experienced with every birth as ever new. Thus it has been clarified that the physical body only perishes but never can the eternal soul perish. The 17th sloka dealt with the reasoning that since there is not a smaller entity than the atman, it is indestructible. In the 18th sloka, since the body was a composite of the five elements and since it was growing and waning, it is destroyable. In the 19th sloka, it was told that he, who does not understand this true nature of atman and body, is not a wise man. Having stated so, now in the 20th sloka, Sri Krishna establishes that atman does not undergo any changes whatsoever. In this slokam, Krishna says that Soul is not only eternal and indestructible, but it is not subject to any change, at ANY time. This is to address the doubt Arjuna had on whether the Soul was "indestructible and not subject to change", just now or in last 1000 years and probably it has a "manufacturing and expiry" date?. Krishna says emphatically that soul is "ALWAYS" eternal, unborn, without death and unchanging. Now, we will have a doubt. In shastras, it is mentioned that the lifespan of a human is less than Devas , which is less than Brahma etc.. (eg: 1 human year is equal to 1 day for deva). 4 Yugas = 4,320,000 years * 1000 is the span of Brahma for one kalpa, when Shrusti and Pralayam takes place. Krishna says here, that Soul is never born or dead during any of this times, whether it is Shrusthi, Pralayam, Kalpa or a human life span!! Now, another question arises, since the souls are eternal, are we Paramatma?? No, Jeevatmas are separate from Paramatma. Due to ignorance and material contact, we have lost this true knowledge. Based on our karmas, the soul takes bodies accordingly. In an inanimate object, also soul exists, but it has no way to increase it's understanding. Beyond, inanimate objects is trees, then animals, then human, then devas etc. When it acheives true knowledge, it reaches "paramapadam" to live eternally with Paramatma. Each of this body, gives the soul a potential to gain the true nature of itself. Soul is not subject to the six types of change, like body! But, intrestingly, even though Soul is eternal, it appears to be changing as per the body it takes.It's similar to we wearing different types and colors of dresses every day! Even though we are the same person, our external appearance seems to change as per the dress we wear! This Self (Atman) is destitute of the six types of transformation or Bhava-Vikaras such as birth, existence, growth, transformation, decline and death. As It is indivisible (Akhanda). It does not diminish in size. It neither grows nor does It decline. It is ever the same. Birth and death are for the physical body only. Birth and death cannot touch the immortal, all-pervading Self. The understanding that the eternal soul is never slain is being confirmed by its freedom from the six changes of material existence being: birth, existence, growth, modification, decay and death which are controlling all living entities high and low in the material existence. The Supreme Lord by declaring the eternal soul is not born confirms the absence of any birth and by declaring the eternal soul does not die confirms the absence of any destruction. The word va occurring twice is used in the sense of and as in and the immortal soul does not come into existence by birth. The immortal soul is already by nature itself eternal. So existence by conception is proven false due to the fact the eternal soul is birthless. That which is conceived attains existence after birth; but that which already eternally exists by its own nature cannot be conceived again. This is the purport of this verse. Constant means not subject to modification. This confirms the absence of growth. Eternal confirms the absence of decay. Ancient confirms the absence of ageing ever beyond time the eternal soul is ageless. Thus there is never a repetition regarding the existence of the eternal soul and the six changes of the physical of birth, existence, growth, modification, decay and death mentioned by Yaksa and other expounders of the Vedic scriptures as to the nature of things in this world never is applicable to the eternal soul which factually every living entity born from a womb possesses. The imperishable nature of the soul and the fact that the six changes of the physical body have no influence on it which is the topic presently under discussion has now been satisfactorily concluded and so it is confirmed that the eternal soul does not perish when the body perishes. In the Katha Upanisad also we find a similar passage which reads: na jayate mriyate va vipascin nayam kutascin na vibhuva kascit ajo nityah sasvato 'yam purano na hanyate hanyamane sarire (Katha 1.2.18) The meaning and purport of this verse is the same as in the Bhagavad-gita, but here in this verse there is one special word, vipascit, which means learned or with knowledge. The soul is full of knowledge, or full always with consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is the symptom of the soul. Even if one does not find the soul within the heart, where he is situated, one can still understand the presence of the soul simply by the presence of consciousness. Sometimes we do not find the sun in the sky owing to clouds, or for some other reason, but the light of the sun is always there, and we are convinced that it is therefore daytime. As soon as there is a little light in the sky early in the morning, we can understand that the sun is in the sky. Similarly, since there is some consciousness in all bodies--whether man or animal--we can understand the presence of the soul. This consciousness of the soul is, however, different from the consciousness of the Supreme because the supreme consciousness is all-knowledge--past, present and future. The consciousness of the individual soul is prone to be forgetful. When he is forgetful of his real nature, he obtains education and enlightenment from the superior lessons of Krsna. The soul is full of knowledge, or full always with consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is the symptom of the soul. Even if one does not find the soul within the heart, where he is situated, one can still understand the presence of the soul simply by the presence of consciousness. Sometimes we do not find the sun in the sky owing to clouds, or for some other reason, but the light of the sun is always there, and we are convinced that it is therefore daytime. As soon as there is a little light in the sky early in the morning, we can understand that the sun is in the sky. Similarly, since there is some consciousness in all bodies--whether man or animal--we can understand the presence of the soul. This consciousness of the soul is, however, different from the consciousness of the Supreme because the supreme consciousness is all-knowledge--past, present and future. The consciousness of the individual soul is prone to be forgetful. When he is forgetful of his real nature, he obtains education and enlightenment from the superior lessons of Krsna. The great deluge [pralayam] is called kalpa. At the start of the kalpa, Brahma creates everything in this Universe. At that time also the atman is not created. Nor the atmans perish at the end of a kalpa. When a child is born, at that time an atman chooses that body and is born. Atman is there in everything. It is in this plant and in that pillar. One may wonder how atman can be in those inanimate objects. But if we examine closely, even our body is inanimate and we know atman is there. So, there is atman in all materials also. The only difference is that the atman in our body can develop his knowledge while, the atman in the pillar has no scope for wisdom. The atman in that pillar is there to expend the karma he had acquired and the moment that is over, that atman will depart that pillar and reside in another body. The magnitude of the wisdom of the atman in any body is determined by its past karma. If the wisdom is, let us say, 0%, it resides in an inanimate body like pillar. A slightly higher intellectual makes the soul to take a bird s body or animal s body. More wisdom makes the soul to take    bodies of human beings or devas or even a Brahma. So the ranking of the knowledge decides the body that soul will be residing. The up and down in gyana or wisdom is only found in atmans. Once, the soul has taken a body, he tries to develop his wisdom and seek a higher level and ultimately, resides in the Sri Vaikuntam or His abode from where there is no more return for the atman to lower planes like this earth. Thus atman is eternal and never undergoes any change. Sri Krishna calls atman as purana. Pura api navaha puranaha is the Sanskrit meaning for the word purana. It means to say that it is very ancient and at the same time fresh or novel. Atman also is ancient but appears fresh everyday. It is common knowledge that we seek changes so as to avoid monotonous, which can be boring and dull. We rearrange our surroundings. We change our dress. So Arjuna feels that an unchanging and static atman might cause boredom. Sri Krishna allays such thoughts and says that atman is fresh everyday with more and better knowledge. This is a greatness of atman that though he is changeless, he appears afresh every time. Like Sri Aravamudan of Thirukkudanthai [Kumbakonam], Alwar says, every time he visits Him, he finds Him revealing Himself differently. We listen to Sri Ramayana. But every time we listen it refreshes our knowledge. So He now tells Arjuna that by killing Bheeshma, he will not kill the atman of Bheeshma.