Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Adhyay 2

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि

नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूय: |

अजो नित्य: शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो

न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे || 20 ||

वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम् |

कथं स पुरुष: पार्थ कं घातयति हन्ति कम् || 21 ||

वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय

नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि |

तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा

न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही || 22 ||

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावक: |

न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुत: || 23 ||

Translation:

2.20: The soul is neither born, nor does it ever die; nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be. The soul is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.

2.21: O Parth, how can one who knows the soul to be imperishable, eternal, unborn, and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?

2.22: As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, at the time of death, the soul casts off its worn-out body and enters a new one.

2.23: Weapons cannot shred the soul, nor can fire burn it. Water cannot wet it, nor can the wind dry it.

-Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Adhyay 2, Shloka 20 to 23

Krishna gave answer to Arjuna and explained him the philosophy of Sankhaya Yoga in this Adhyay. It is the reason why many scholars gave the title of Sankhaya Yoga to Adhyay 2. The detail of Sankhya Yoga is later elaborated by sage Kapila and Buddha. Many scriptures from various Upnishadas described Sankhya Yoga as numbers or empirical. As per it, “creation is exists neither in production nor in destruction, all the creation is stem from Purusha and Prakruti. Purusha is Atma or self and it is not a matter. Prakruti is matter or physical manifestation. It holds 3 virtues, Satva, Rajas, and Tamas.

In modern science the same phenomenon is accepted as the laws of Thermo dynamics; energy can’t be created nor destroyed, it can only transfer from one form to another form. Einstein equation E = ∆ mc² added it by implying energy and mass are inter convertible so what modern science discovered in 20^th century, our ancestor knows it before the modern history.

न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपा |

न चैव न भविष्याम: सर्वे वयमत: परम् || 12 ||

देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा |

तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति || 13 ||

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदु: खदा: |

आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत || 14 ||

यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ |

समदु:खसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते || 15 ||

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सत: |

उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभि: || 16 ||

Translation:

2.12: Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.

2.13: Just as the embodied soul continuously passes from childhood to youth to old age, similarly, at the time of death, the soul passes into another body. The wise are not deluded by this.

2.14: O son of Kunti, the contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. These are non-permanent, and come and go like the winter and summer seasons. O descendent of Bharat, one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.

2.15: O Arjun, noblest amongst men, that person who is not affected by happiness and distress, and remains steady in both, becomes eligible for liberation.

2.16: Of the transient there is no endurance, and of the eternal there is no cessation. This has verily been observed by the seers of the truth, after studying the nature of both.

-Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Adhyay 2, Shloka 12 to 16

Krishna explains Arjuna that, “this is not the first time we meet, we met in past life, we will meet in future life, because your Atma is trapped in the circle of life and rebirth”. Here, Krishna told Arjuna to view larger picture by introducing the Concept of life and after life, Concept of Rebirth, Body, Atma, Death, and Circle of Life.

Our body is mortal, hence it fears the death, and in that process it creates the boundaries and limitation of Karma. As per swami Vivekanand’s interpretation of Gita, Atma (Soul) is free from all the sins, but it is trapped in our body during this life and our body is like garment which will get dirty with our Karmas (Actions). Shri Krishna in Gita says that, soul does not bound by the boundaries created by our body. Immortal Atma does not fear the death; hence it is not affected by the Karma of the body.

Shri Krishna says (Adhyay 2 Verse 12-16 paraphrase), the resident of this body (Atma-soul) experience its childhood, youth, old age, and inevitable death before moving to next body. This body not the Atma is attached to materialistic world, family & kinship, the ownership, belongings, and attachment. This affiliation creates the ultimate fear. The fear of death, in reality we are not afraid of death bur what happens to our property, our family, and our soul after the death. However, Krishna says that wise knows that, Atma is immortal living inside the mortal body going through circle of birth, death, and rebirth. So he does not fear the death or fear the changes. Krishna wants us to view this large picture and do not create our reality solely based on single life, but incorporating various past and future life cycles.

The idea of birth and rebirth exists in other religions also. In Buddhism, which does not believe in concept of Atma (immortal soul) and in Jainism, which does not believe in concept of Param-atma (Ultimate soul/God).  But both believe in concept of rebirth called Samsara and Karma called Samskara (memories of past life). However, Abrahamic religions such as Islam, Christianity, and Judaism do not believe in rebirth rather they believe in concept of “Judgment day” and one life. In Abrahamic mythology everything is god’s will and our suffering is result of disobeying God or we are under the spell of devil. In Vedic Science, this life’s achievement and suffering is result of our past life’s Karma. As per Gita, there is no one, but us to blame for our problems.

तानि सर्वाणि संयम्य युक्त आसीत मत्पर: |

वशे हि यस्येन्द्रियाणि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता || 61 ||

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंस: सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते |

सङ्गात्सञ्जायते काम: कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते || 62 ||

क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोह: सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रम: |

स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति || 63 ||

Translation:

2.61: They are established in perfect knowledge, who subdue their senses and keep their minds ever absorbed in me.

2.62: While contemplating on the objects of the senses, one develops attachment to them. Attachment leads to desire, and from desire arises anger.

2.63: Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of the memory. When the memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined.

-Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Adhyay 2, Shloka 61, 62, 63

The biggest example of Karma Yoga and rebirth from the Mahabharat is “Sutputra Karna”. The title Sutputra-son of charioteer is so disrespectful for him that he worked hard to improve his skills and social status in doing that, he forgets his own identity and accept his enforced identity given by Kauravas as “Angaraj Karna”-King of Anga (modern day North East India and Bangladesh).

Karna was Kunti’s son and just before the war he was presented with this information with invitation to join Pandavas, if he did so he became eldest of Pandavas and could become the rightful heir of Pandu clan and king of entire India after the war. However, he chooses to be with his friend and stay loyal to Kauravas during the war of Mahabharat. One by one each and everyone turned against him.

• Bhishma, did not let him fight as long he was alive. Bhishma being blessed by longevity strip away the chance of Karna to prove his worthiness and skills as an archer in war.
• Drauna, made him to use his most powerful weapon against Ghatotkacha (son of Bheem), which he kept reserve for Arjuna hence striping away his ability to kill Arjuna.
• Indra, the father of Arjuna took advantage of his charitable nature and striped away from his divine Kavach (armour) and Kundal (earrings) leaving him vulnerable to the weapons of men.
• Duryodhan, made King Shailya (maternal uncle of Sahdev and Nakul) as Karna’s charioteer, to insult Pandavas. But it turned out to be a big mistake, he constantly mocks Karna and praised Arjuna and demotivated him.
• Parshuram, the guru of Karna cursed him that he will lose his all knowledge at the right time and that happened on the battlefield. When the wheel of chariot stuck on the ground, Shailya refuses to take it out because he is a king and not the charioteer. When Karna stepped down from his chariot to take wheel out, Arjuna on the instruction of Krishna killed him and he died as Sut-the vary title he despises.

Karna story is very tragic one. He fought and struggled his entire life to achieve glory of great warrior and archer, but he died as charioteer-the profession of his foster father that he shunned.

Is Karna story is really a tragic one?

If we believe in one birth one life phenomenon, his story was very tragic one. He was exploited by family, friends, and society; even Gods took advantage of his kind nature.

However, Krishna tells us different stories from his previous life:

• Story of Sahastra Kavach:

As per Puranas, in one of his past life Karna was the Asura known as Sahastra Kavacha and he was blessed with 1000 armours. To break the armour very special powers required and this power can only be gain by 1000 years of penance. Even after the gaining the power it required 1000 years of battles to break only one layer.

Nar and Narayan, twin sage avatar of Vishnu fought simultaneously with sahastra kavach. While, one meditate to gain power other fought, taking turn and break armour one by one. By the time all armour broke, but one that world come to end and reborn. The Asura born as Karna, Nar as Arjuna, and Narayan as Krishna. Only Krishna knows the entire story. So, in Mahabharat Karna may be a victim but in his past life; he was a villain.

• Son of Surya and Indra:

In Ramayan, Rama who is the seventh avatar of Vishnu killed Vali-the son of Indra with the help of Sugrive-son of Surya. So in Mahabharat, Krishna who is the eighth avatar of Vishnu was obliged to restore the balance and helped Arjuna-son of Indra to kill Karna-son of Surya.

• Student of Parashuram:

Parshuram is the sixth avatar of Vishnu who was also guru of Bhishma, Drauna, and Karna. All three students participated in Mahabharat from Kauravas’s side and uphold the ‘Adharma’. So the eighth avatar of Vishnu-Krishna supported the Pandavas who uphold the ‘Dharma’.  He helped Pandavas to kill all three students of his to restore the balance.

In all three stories, each incident or timeline is peace of Jig show puzzle. If we see only one timeline, we cannot understand Shankya Yoga or Karma Yoga. But if we see larger narrative, we can see that even God himself is not above the Karma and he has to take part in cycle of life, death, and rebirth to restore the fine balance of Cosmos.

Sankhya Yoga indicates this; science on other hand does not believe in rebirth because it cannot be prove by today’s available scientific methodology. Moreover, sum scientific methods believe in similar ideas such as “returning soldier effect”.

Returning Soldier effect is phenomenon which suggests that; more male children are born during and immediately after the wars. This was the first noticed in 19^th century by western scholars. Some scientists believed that it was due to some stress hormone caused by hard times during the war. However, some experts believed that it was the natural regulation of the status quo- indicating that the rebirth of fallen soldier. Hence, it named returning soldier effect.

In western philosophy, we only live once; hence we attach the value to our achievement and fear the loss, we fear the death. Shri Krishna in Gita says that rebirth provides the second chance and death is only experienced by our body, but the soul is immortal and do not fear the death. When soul reborn again and again, achievements of one life are meaningless and only thing which matters is wisdom and understanding of why this world exists? Why we are part of it? And why we live & die again & again? All these questions are the philosophy of Karma Yoga, Sankhya Yoga, and overall larger narrative.

अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ता: शरीरिण: |

अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत || 18 ||

Translation: Only the material body is perishable; the embodied soul within is indestructible, immeasurable, and eternal. Therefore, fight, O descendent of Bharat.

-Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Adhyay 2, Shloka 18