Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 17 — Sankhya Yoga
Sanskrit
अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् | विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति ||२-१७||
Transliteration
avināśi tu tadviddhi yena sarvamidaṃ tatam . vināśamavyayasyāsya na kaścitkartumarhati ||2-17||
Hindi Meaning
।।2.17।। उस वस्तु को तुम अविनाशी जानों, जिससे यह सम्पूर्ण जगत् व्याप्त है। इस अव्यय का नाश करने में कोई भी समर्थ नहीं है।।
English Meaning
That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.
Commentary
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 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (5.9) confirms this: bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya 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: keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatāṁśaḥ sādṛśātmakaḥ jīvaḥ sūkṣma-svarūpo ’yaṁ saṅkhyātīto hi cit-kaṇaḥ “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 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.1.9) the measurement of the atomic spirit soul is further explained: eṣo ’ṇur ātmā cetasā veditavyo yasmin prāṇaḥ pañcadhā saṁviveśa prāṇaiś cittaṁ sarvam otaṁ prajānāṁ yasmin viśuddhe vibhavaty eṣa ātmā “The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. This atomic soul is floating in the five kinds of air ( prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna and udāna ), 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 haṭha-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 viṣṇu-tattva. The influence of the atomic soul can be spread all over a particular body. According to the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, 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 prabhā, 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-gītā by the Personality of Godhead Himself.
Hinglish Commentary
Is verse mein atma ki asli nature ko aur achhe se samjhaya gaya hai, jo body ke andar har jagah faili hui hai. Har koi samajh sakta hai ki body ke andar kya hai: wo hai consciousness. Sab log apne body ki dukh-dard aur sukh-samriddhi ko mehsoos karte hain, chahe wo poore body mein ho ya kisi ek hissa mein. Ye consciousness sirf apne body tak seemit hoti hai. Kisi aur ke body ka dukh ya sukh humein nahi pata hota. Isliye, har ek body ek individual soul ka roop hai, aur atma ki maujoodgi ka saboot hai wo individual consciousness. Is atma ko ek baalon ke upar wale point ka ek dasva hissa ke barabar bataya gaya hai. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad mein iska ullekh hai: jab ek baalon ke point ko ek sau hisson mein baanta jata hai, aur phir har hissa ko ek sau hisson mein baanta hai, tab har chhota hissa atma ka maapan hota hai. Is tarah se, ye kehna hai ki atma ka ye chhota particle, jo ki spiritual atom hai, material atoms se bhi chhota hai, aur inki ginati anant hai. Ye bahut chhoti spiritual chingari material body ka mool siddhant hai, aur iski prabhav body mein waise failta hai jaise koi dawai ka prabhav body mein failta hai. Ye spirit soul ka current body mein consciousness ke roop mein mehsoos hota hai, aur ye atma ki maujoodgi ka saboot hai. Koi bhi aam aadmi samajh sakta hai ki bina consciousness ke material body ek dead body hai, aur is consciousness ko kisi bhi material tarike se wapas nahi laaya ja sakta. Isliye, consciousness kisi material combination ka natija nahi hai, balki ye spirit soul ka prabhav hai. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad mein atomic spirit soul ka maapan aur bhi achhe se samjhaya gaya hai: ye atma atomic size ki hai aur ise perfect intelligence se samjha ja sakta hai. Ye atomic soul heart ke andar hai aur body mein apna prabhav failata hai. Jab ye atma paanch prakaar ke material air ki gandh se paak hoti hai, tab iska spiritual prabhav ubhar ke aata hai. Haṭha-yoga system ka maqsad ye paanch prakaar ke air ko control karna hai, taaki chhoti atma ko material atmosphere ke jaal se mukti mil sake. Is atomic soul ki constitution sab Vedic literature mein maani gayi hai, aur ye kisi bhi samajhdar insaan ke practical experience mein bhi mehsoos hoti hai. Sirf paagal insaan hi ye soch sakta hai ki ye atomic soul sab jagah faili hui viṣṇu-tattva hai. Atomic soul ka prabhav sirf ek body tak failta hai. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad ke anusaar, ye atomic soul har living entity ke heart mein hoti hai, aur kyunki iska maapan material scientists ki samajh se bahar hai, kuch log bekaar mein kehte hain ki koi soul nahi hai. Individual atomic soul zaroor heart mein hoti hai, Supersoul ke saath, aur isliye body ke movement ki saari energies isi hissa se nikalti hain. Oxygen ko lungs se carry karne wale corpuscles atma se energy lete hain. Jab atma is position se chale jaati hai, tab blood ki activity band ho jaati hai. Medical science red corpuscles ki importance ko maanti hai, lekin ye nahi samajh pati ki energy ka source atma hai. Lekin medical science ye bhi maanti hai ki heart body ki saari energies ka seat hai. Ye atomic particles spirit ke sunshine molecules ki tarah hain. Sunshine mein anant radiant molecules hote hain. Waise hi, Supreme Lord ke fragmental parts atomic sparks hain, jo prabhā ya superior energy ke naam se jane jaate hain. Isliye, chahe koi Vedic knowledge ko follow kare ya modern science ko, koi bhi spirit soul ke body mein hone ko inkaar nahi kar sakta, aur atma ki science ko Bhagavad-gītā mein God ke Personality ne khud vyakhya kiya hai.
Chinmaya Commentary
समस्त जगत् को जो व्याप्त किये हुये है और इस दृश्यमान अनुभव में आने वाले जगत् का जो अधिष्ठान है वह सत् है। मिट्टी के बने अनेक प्रकार के पात्र होते हैं जिनके विभिन्न उपयोगों के कारण अथवा उनमें रखी वस्तुओं के कारण उनके विभिन्न नाम होते हैं परंतु विविध आकारों के होने पर भी वे सब एक मिट्टी के ही बने होते हैं जो सब आकारों में व्याप्त होती है और जिसके बिना किसी भी पात्र का अस्तित्व सिद्ध नहीं हो सकता। उन सब की उत्पत्ति स्थिति और लय मिट्टी में ही है। अत उनमें मिट्टी ही वास्तव में सत्य है। इसी प्रकार यह नित्य परिवर्तनशील जगत् नित्य अविनाशी तत्त्व से व्याप्त है और भगवान् कहते हैं कि इस तत्त्व का विनाश कदापि सम्भव नहीं है। तब फिर असत् क्या है जिसका अस्तित्व नित्य नहीं है सुनो