Bhagavad Gita 2.17

[Paramananda das]

Text 17

avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam vinasam avyayasyasya na kascit kartum arhati

Translation

That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.

Commentary by Srila Prabhupada

This verse more clearly explains the real nature of the soul, which is spread all over the body. Anyone can understand what is spread all over the body: it is consciousness. Everyone is conscious of the pains and pleasures of the body in part or as a whole. This spreading of consciousness is limited within one’s own body. The pains and pleasures of one body are unknown to another. Therefore, each and every body is the embodiment of an individual soul, and the symptom of the soul’s presence is perceived as individual consciousness. This soul is described as one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair point in size. The Shvetasvatara Upanishad (5.9) confirms this:

balagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca bhago jivah 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.” Similarly the same version is stated:

kesagra-sata-bhagasya satamsah sadrsatmakah jivah suksma-svarupo ’yam sankhyatito hi cit-kanah [Cc. Madya 19.140]

“There are innumerable particles of spiritual atoms, which are measured as one ten-thousandth of the upper portion of the hair.”

Therefore, the individual particle of spirit soul is a spiritual atom smaller than the material atoms, and such atoms are innumerable. This very small spiritual spark is the basic principle of the material body, and the influence of such a spiritual spark is spread all over the body as the influence of the active principle of some medicine spreads throughout the body. This current of the spirit soul is felt all over the body as consciousness, and that is the proof of the presence of the soul. Any layman can understand that the material body minus consciousness is a dead body, and this consciousness cannot be revived in the body by any means of material administration. Therefore, consciousness is not due to any amount of material combination, but to the spirit soul. In the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.9) 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.”

The hatha-yoga system is meant for controlling the five kinds of air encircling the pure soul by different kinds of sitting postures—not for any material profit, but for liberation of the minute soul from the entanglement of the material atmosphere.

So the constitution of the atomic soul is admitted in all Vedic literatures, and it is also actually felt in the practical experience of any sane man. Only the insane man can think of this atomic soul as all-pervading vishnu-tattva.

The influence of the atomic soul can be spread all over a particular body. According to the Mundaka Upanishad, this atomic soul is situated in the heart of every living entity, and because the measurement of the atomic soul is beyond the power of appreciation of the material scientists, some of them assert foolishly that there is no soul. The individual atomic soul is definitely there in the heart along with the Supersoul, and thus all the energies of bodily movement are emanating from this part of the body. The corpuscles which carry the oxygen from the lungs gather energy from the soul. When the soul passes away from this position, the activity of the blood, generating fusion, ceases. Medical science accepts the importance of the red corpuscles, but it cannot ascertain that the source of the energy is the soul. Medical science, however, does admit that the heart is the seat of all energies of the body.

Such atomic particles of the spirit whole are compared to the sunshine molecules. In the sunshine there are innumerable radiant molecules. Similarly, the fragmental parts of the Supreme Lord are atomic sparks of the rays of the Supreme Lord, called by the name prabha, or superior energy. So whether one follows Vedic knowledge or modern science, one cannot deny the existence of the spirit soul in the body, and the science of the soul is explicitly described in the Bhagavad-gita by the Personality of Godhead Himself.

Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur

This verse clarifies the meaning of the previous verse. Know this jiva (tat) as indestructible which is spread throughout the body (sarvam idam tatam).

"But, being spread throughout the body by its consciousness, this soul would be impermanent because it is of medium size only (being the size of the body)."

This is not so, for the Lord says, suksmanam apy aham jivah: Of small things I am the jiva". (SB 11.16.11) As well, sruti says:

eso 'nur atma cetasa veditavyo yasmin pranah pancadha samvivesa

One should know by the pure consciousness the small atma near which the five life airs rest. Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.9

balagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca bhago jivah sa vijneyah

One should know that the jiva is the size of one ten thousandth of the tip of the hair. Svetasvatara Upanisad 5.9

aragra-matro hy aparo 'pi drstah

The inferior soul is seen as the size of the tip of a spoke. Svetasvatara Upanisad 5.8

By these statements of sruti we understand that the jiva is very small. It has the power to spread itself throughout the whole body, just as pulverized gems or herbs when applied to the head have the power to spread their nourishing influence throughout the body. There is nothing contradictory in being small and pervading the body.

Because of its dependence on upadhis (mistaken identity), it goes to various bodies in heaven and hell. In this way the soul is also sarva gatah, going everywhere.

Dattatreya (in the form of the avadhuta brahmana) says how the Jiva, in the form of the aggregate of jivas at the beginning of creation, goes to different bodies:

tam ahus tri-guna-vyaktim srjantim visvato-mukham yasmin protam idam visvam yena samsarate puman

According to great sages, that which is the basis of the three modes of material nature and which manifests the variegated universe is called the sutra or mahat-tattva. Indeed, this universe is resting within that mahat-tattva, and due to its potency the living entity undergoes material existence. SB 11.9.20

Thus the soul's pervasion of the body (and still being minute) is not contrary to its eternal nature stated in the previous verse. Therefore the word avyayasya is used in this verse also. It refers to the soul being eternal or nitya. As the sruti says:

nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman

The Lord is the chief eternal among all eternals (souls). He is the chief conscious entity among all conscious entities. He is-the one fulfills the needs of all others. Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.13

Or the meaning of the verse can be as follows.

The body, the jiva and the paramatma are all seen everywhere in all forms such as human and animal. The first two, the body and jiva are mentioned in the previous verse. The third, paramatma is mentioned in this verse. It is indestructible and spread, everywhere in the universe (idam). The word tu serves to distinguish paramatma from the body and jiva. The paramatma is by its very nature different from matter and the jiva.

commentaries of chapter 2, verse 17 of the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita.

Commentaries of the Four Authorized Vaisnava Sampradayas

as confirmed in the Garga Samhita Canto 10, Chapter 61, Verses 23, 24, 25, 26

Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya: Visnuswami Sridhara Swami's Commentary The imperishable soul whose existence is a reality has been delineated and emphasised in a general manner. Now in this verse it is stated: but know that, meaning to know the reality of the eternal soul within every living entity. Pervading as the witness to the physical body which is subject to the transient modifications in the beginning known as birth and at its end is known as death. But it is not possible to modify the soul which is imperishable and impossible to destroy.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya: Madhvacarya Madhvacarya's Commentary In how many ways is this to be understood? Endlessly, not limited by space, eternal, indestructible. It can not be destroyed by curses or magic and while being unable to be destroyed is also immutable. Now begins the summation. Thus it is stated in the Maha Varaha Purana: Even though the soul within the physical body of every living entity is eternal and even though in all respects the use of the word tu confirms that eternity refers only to Lord Krishna alone, the temporal transmigration of bodies, feeling pain, incompleteness, these four attributes of destruction are never spoken as referring to Lord Krishna. However in relation to all other things there surely is a result in loss. Thus is stated in the Parama Sruti: Attributes are threefold: relating to time, relating to place and to being complete in themselves. All these attributes are residing fully only in the Supreme Lord Krishna exclusively.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya: Ramanuja Ramanuja's Commentary It should be understood that the soul is indestructible and is the principle by which the physical body is permeated. The insentient body is completely distinct from the sentient soul. By reason of its pervasive nature the soul is very subtle, in fact so exceedingly subtle is the soul that it is verily incapable of being destroyed being subatomic in essence. There is no thing which is of different or of a dissimilar nature from it which in any way is capable of destroying the soul. For whatever there is existing is pervaded by the soul as well and being pervaded by the soul itself verifies its less gross and most subtle position of all being subatomic. Such things as weapons, water, fire, air, cold etc. can not influence or be the agents of destruction for the imperishable soul, being all pervaded by it. The rationale of a hammer striking an object and disintegrating it is now given. When a hammer strikes an object with excessive force an extreme vibration produces a molecular disruption which causes the destruction of the object. But in the case of the soul there is no facility for destruction as when light penetrates a glass jar is not destroyed when the glass is destroyed; similarly the soul is like unto this in relation to the body. Thus it can be understood the imperishable nature of the soul. Now the next verse explains that being perishable is the very nature of the physical body.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya: Nimbaditya Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary In this verse the Supreme Lord Krishna emphasizes the conclusive position of the soul with the word avyayasya meaning indestructible. How this is to be understood is given by the word yena meaning by which indicating the difference between the soul and the physical body which the soul pervades. This pervasiveness is so extremely subtle that it is impossible for anything to cause the destruction of its indestructible nature because whatever would be attempting to destroy it is also completely pervaded by it as well.

Thus ends commentaries of chapter 2, verse 17 of the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita. "Material Body Is Dead Body"

72/11/22 Hyderabad, Bhagavad-gita 2.17
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Prabhupada:

avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam vinasam avyayasyasya na kascit kartum arhati [Bg. 2.17]

So the distinction between the living soul and the dead body -- anyone can perceive. What is the distinction between a living body and the dead body? When a man is dead, he, his relatives cry, lament: "Oh, my father has gone," "My son has gone." But the father, as we have seen, he's lying on the floor. Where he has gone? He's lying on the floor. Why you are crying: "Oh, my father has gone away"? That means the person who has gone away, who has left this body, you have not, never seen. You have seen this body. So the body is lying there, and why you are crying, "My father has gone away"? So any intelligent man can understand that the real father, within the body, was a different thing. But our ignorance is so great that we accept this body, this dead body, as my father. This body is not only dead now, it was always dead. Because the living soul was there, within this dead body, it was moving. This is the fact. Just like a nice motorcar is running. But when the driver is not there, the motor is lying there, idle. If one identifies with the motorcar, the driver of the car, that is foolishness. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. Anyone who is identifying this dead body, or this material body, which is a composition of tri-dhatuka, kapha-pitta-vayu, some blood, flesh, and some secretion, and some bones -- if anyone identifies the self with this lump of matter, then he is described as no better than cow and ass.

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]

So at the present moment especially... This ignorance is there always, in the material world, that one is identifying this material body with the real self. The self, the soul is different. It is not this material body. But our modern education, everything, advancement of knowledge, philosophy, everything on the basis of, on this wrong conception of life. So to give an, a glimpse of idea what is that soul, how it acts, here Krsna, Lord Krsna informs us:

avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam vinasam avyayasyasya na kascit kartum arhati

So the soul, the presence of soul is perceived by the consciousness. That consciousness... Just like the presence of sun, even I was blind, I could understand the sun is there because the sunlight and heat, I am experiencing. Without seeing the sun... When, as soon as I come to the sunshine, I feel light and heat; therefore immediately I can understand there is sun. It is not very difficult. Similarly just like we try to... When a man is dying, we try to feel whether the man is breathing, or he's feeling touch sensation. These are the tests. So the touch sensation is there so long the soul is there. Now I am living body. If somebody pinches my body, because the consciousness is all over the body, so I feel: "Somebody's pinching me." But when the conscious, consciousness is not there, if somebody chops up my body I will not protest. Therefore we should understand what is that living thing. That consciousness, which is spreading all over this body, that is living force. Krsna says here: avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam. Yena, by that consciousness. The consciousness is spread all over the body. So Krsna says, "That consciousness is avinasi." After the death of, after the annihilation of this body, which we call dead, the consciousness is not dead. That we do not understand. There is no science; there is no philosophy. Everything based on a foolish assumption. They say the consciousness is made possible by combination of matter. The combination of matter, five elements, gross, the subtle elements, they cannot see. Even they see. So their... (aside:) Not now. Their proposition is that this consciousness is a symptom of combination of matter. That is Buddhist philosophy. They do not accept the existence of soul. "The consciousness is a combination of matter." But if it is a fact, then why don't you, if some matter is lacking, why don't you bring that matter or chemical and inject in the dead body and make it again conscious? Why it is not possible? What is your argument? If you say consciousness is combination of matter...

Just like our motorcar is being driven. So when the petrol is finished, matter... Because motorcar running means combination of matter -- some machine, made of matter, and some oil, acting -- so it is running. Of course, the driver is there. But foolish persons, they do not understand, simply combination of matter will not act. There must be a driver, a living person. Then the motorcar will go. So supposing the combination of matter, that the petrol is finished. So we can bring petrol. Again the motor runs. So if this body was running simply on combination of matter, and some matter is lacking, so why not bring that matter and put into it, and it will run? But that is not possible. That is, that was... The living force which was running this body was a different element, spirit. Nasato vidyate bhavo nabhavo vidyate satah. We have discussed this verse. That is living force. And Krsna says, vinasam avyayasya asya. This consciousness has no annihilation. Vinasa. Nobody can kill this consciousness, or the soul. One can do harm to this material body, but not to the spirit soul and consciousness. Vinasam avyaya. Avyaya means which is never deteriorates. That is avyaya. Vinasam avyayasya asya na kascit kartum arhati. Nobody can kill. Nobody can kill consciousness, nobody can kill the soul. Therefore it is said, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. "The consciousness, or the spirit soul, is never killed, never annihilated, on the destruction of this body."

So this is a great science. Unfortunately, the so-called scientist, he has no idea. He does not know. They simply say that "We do not know, but we are trying to know." That's all right. But here is the knowledge, perfect knowledge, in the Bhagavad-gita. Why don't you take it? That they will not take. They'll go on speculating and promise falsely that "In future we shall be able to inject some matter within the body and the body will again become alive." That is their dream. In the past history, it was never possible; at present also, it is not possible. How you can expect in future? But they are under illusion. They think like that, that "We are making progress." At all, no progress, practically. They have no knowledge. That is their position. They have no knowledge. So we have to understand from the authority. There are so many arguments. Now, if you say "This body's dead because the blood has become white. Blood corpuscles, they are now become white instead of becoming red." So if that is the possible, so why don't you make the blood red? By some chemical injection or by adding some color, as soon as the blood becomes red... Why don't you do that? No. If you say "That was ‘natural' redness. That natural redness cannot be brought," then your science is defective. And even if we accept that natural redness is the cause of living force, there are many natural redness in the flower, in the jewels. Why does it not move? So all the arguments of these foolish scientists, or so-called logicians, that can be, I mean to say, nullified, if you are intelligent. We have to take..., accept it, because it is said by Krsna, the Supreme Personality. Because we cannot say anything, why it is avinasi, why this body's not avinasi, but the consciousness is avinasi, that we cannot explain; therefore we have to accept the version of the supreme authority. That is education. That is education. We, we cannot deny. Because we cannot give any counterproposal. So how we can deny Krsna's proposal? Avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam. Yena sarvam idam tatam. This is also very significant. Idam sariram.

So I am individual spirit soul. I am conscious. My consciousness is spread all over the body. But my consciousness is not spread over your body. If you are pinched by somebody, I don't feel. Because your consciousness is different from my consciousness. You cannot say that the consciousness is the same in you and me. No. Everyone is individual. Therefore there is another consciousness. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata [Bg. 13.3]. I am ksetra-jna, conscious. I know about the pains and pleasures of my body. You know about the pains and pleasures of your body. I do not know about your pains and pleasure. You do not know about my pains and pleasure. Therefore you are individual soul. I am individual soul. But there is another soul, Supersoul. That is Krsna. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. That Supersoul is present both in you and in me. Ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata [Bg. 13.3]. Sarva-ksetresu bharata. In every living entity. Sarva-ksetresu. It is confirmed in the Vedic sutras, Brahma-sutra: andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. Eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim [Bs. 5.35]. That Supersoul is present within this universe. Because that Supersoul is present within this universe, Krsna says, vistabhya aham: "I enter within this world." Ekamsena sthito jagat: [Bg. 10.42] "I do not enter, but My plenary portion, ekamsena, Paramatma..." The Ksirodakasayi Visnu, He enters. The Garbhodakasayi Visnu, He enters within this universe. And the Ksirodakasayi Visnu enters into everything, even in the atom. Therefore it is working. So that consciousness is there. Because the universal consciousness of Visnu is there, therefore everything within the universe is working so nicely. Not that nature... Nature, you can compare with your body... The material nature is there, but without the soul's presence, the consciousness being there, it will not work.

Therefore as this universe, material cosmic manifestation is working very nicely, you have to accept there is God. You cannot deny. So that consciousness, superconsciousness, that is different. You cannot say that "I am the same. I have got superconsciousness." That is not possible. Then, if you have got superconsciousness, why don't you feel about my pains and pleasure? The superconsciousness is of Visnu. That is all-pervading consciousness. That is also the same. Nature is the same. As I have got my consciousness all over this body, similarly, the superconsciousness is there all over the universe. As I feel pains and pleasure on account of some disturbance on this body, similarly, as soon as we create some disturbance with this universal atmosphere, the supreme consciousness is disturbed. That disturbance is going on. Therefore, in spite of all arrangement... Purnam idam purnam adah purnat purnam udacyate [Isopanisad, Invocation]. That, by God's creation, everything is complete. There is no flaw. But because we are creating disturbances, the world situation is different.

We are creating disturbances. By God's creation, everything is nice. Everything is fine. Take, for example, within this planet, there is sufficient place to grow food for all the population. Not only all the population at the present moment, but if the population increases ten times, twenty times, still, there is sufficient place to produce food for them. We are traveling all over the world three times a year, and we see in Australia and Africa and other countries, there are so much vacant places. And food can be produced, enough food can be produced. Enough milk can be available for feeding all this population. That is God's arrangement. But the difficulty is that we are quarreling amongst ourself. I am thinking Indian. Somebody's thinking "I am an American." Somebody's thinking "I'm Australian." "You cannot come here. You, I cannot allow you to come to my country." The immigration department. Therefore, the difficulty. By God's arrangement, there is everything complete. But I am disturbing. I am encroaching upon God's property: "This is mine." Therefore there is disturbance. Therefore the only solution of the whole world problem is Krsna consciousness. There is no other solution. The only solution. Krsna consciousness means when people will be educated to understand that this planet does not belong to America or India and Africa. Everything belongs... Sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. As Krsna says, "I am the proprietor of all the planets." When you understand this, that is Krsna consciousness. Then there will be peace.

Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is very important. To educate people. Because foolishly they are claiming God's property his property. Nothing belongs to us. Even this body does not belong to us. As soon as the time factor is finished, my body's finished... So I have got this body, say, for seventy-six years, age, and, say, after ten years, or five years, it will be finished. So before my body was created, the world was there, and when my body will be finished, the world will remain there. Then how can I claim that this world belongs to me? This is called illusion. This is called ignorance. Mudha. Mudha means one does not know to whom the property belongs, but foolishly he's claiming that "It is my property." This Krsna consciousness movement, in other words, it is spiritual communism. The material communism, which is going on, that is defective, because this Communist movement is centered around the state. But when there will be perfect communism -- isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1], the center will be God, Krsna -- that will be perfect. When everyone will understand that Krsna is the central point, Krsna is the proprietor, Krsna is the enjoyer, when perfectly we come to that Krsna consciousness, there will be peace and prosperity. Otherwise it is not possible. Therefore our... Of course, it is not possible that because the number of fools are greater.

But still, as it is suggested in the Bhagavad-gita: yad yad acarati sresthah. Yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad eva itarah janah. If the so-called leaders, they become Krsna conscious, they understand the philosophy, then others will follow. As, at the present moment, because the leaders are foolish, blind, they have no spiritual knowledge, all the population of the world becomes godless. Therefore our appeal is to the leading personalities to understand this Krsna consciousness movement. Try to understand its philosophy, apply in life, and try to distribute this knowledge. Automatically others will accept. Sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate. If Krsna consciousness movement is accepted by the leading personalities... Why they shall not accept unless they are ignorant and less intelligent? Everything is there. The Bhagavad-gita is left for this purpose. It was instructed not to Arjuna, but to the whole world, in the midst of Battlefield of Kuruksetra. So the whole world is a battlefield now. They should learn the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and thus become happy within this world. Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.17 -- Hyderabad, November 22, 1972

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© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.

[Paramananda das]

SB 7.2.57

[Paramananda das]

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam7.2.57

evaḿ yūyam apaśyantya

ātmāpāyam abuddhayaḥ

nainaḿ prāpsyatha śocantyaḥ

patiḿ varṣa-śatair api

SYNONYMS

evam — thus; yūyam — you; apaśyantyaḥ — not seeing; ātma-apāyam — own death; abuddhayaḥ — O ignorant ones; na — not; enam — him; prāpsyatha — you will obtain; śocantyaḥ — lamenting for; patim — your husband; varṣa-śataiḥ — for a hundred years; api — even.

TRANSLATION

Thus Yamarāja, in the guise of a small boy, told all the queens: You are all so foolish that you lament but do not see your own death. Afflicted by a poor fund of knowledge, you do not know that even if you lament for your dead husband for hundreds of years, you will never get him back alive, and in the meantime your lives will be finished.

PURPORT

Yamarāja once asked Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, "What is the most wonderful thing within this world?" Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira replied (Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.116):

ahany ahani bhūtāni

gacchantīha yamālayam

śeṣāḥ sthāvaram icchanti

kim āścaryam ataḥ param

Hundreds and thousands of living entities meet death at every moment, but a foolish living being nonetheless thinks himself deathless and does not prepare for death. This is the most wonderful thing in this world. Everyone has to die because everyone is fully under the control of material nature, yet everyone thinks that he is independent, that whatever he likes he can do, that he will never meet death but live forever, and so on. So-called scientists are making various plans by which living entities in the future can live forever, but while they are thus pursuing such scientific knowledge, Yamarāja, in due course of time, will take them away from their business of so-called research.