Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Srimad Bhagavad Geeta by Thirukullam Narasimha Raghavachariar Chapter 2 Part 3

From the Bhakti List Archives

Bharadwaj, Jaganath • May 27, 1998 


Start of Geeta Upadesam:-

Sri Bhagavaan:	"Arjuna!  Never was there a time when Myself, the
controller of everything did not exist.  Never was there a time when you
did not exist.  Never was there a time when any of these kings did not
exist.  Just as you are convinced about the eternal existence of Myself,
who is the Supreme among all sentient beings, be convinced that
similarly, all of you are going to exist forever.  Therefore what is the
point in grieving over something that cannot be destroyed?"

Arjuna:	"Kanna!  How am I to believe that the soul will exist forever
when all the time we talk about "that one died and this one is born"?

Sri Bhagavaan:	"Dhananjaya!  Just as it is possible for a body to go
through stages of childhood, youth and old age during the soul's
residence in that body, similarly it is totally conceivable that the
soul can change bodies at the end of a specified period.  A learned
person (Jnani) does not grieve over this.  (Here is a definition of the
word Jnani by Sri Thirukullam Narasimha Raghavachariar in answer to Sri
Sudarshan's question of a week or two ago.)  In other words, just as
body undergoes changes during the residence of the soul within that
body, the soul comes into contact with many different bodies during its
stay in the material world.  When we talk of the death of a person we
only mean end of the residence of the soul in that particular body.  It
does not mean the death of the soul.  We define the soul's contact with
a new body as birth.  The soul is subject to neither creation, nor
destruction.  That is why we consider living entities (souls) to be
eternal."

Arjuna:	"Madhusoodhana!  Even if the soul is eternal and the destruction
of the body is imminent, can one stop grieving about the destruction of
the bodies?  I grieve over the impending destruction of the bodies of
Bhishma and Drona."

Sri Bhagavaan:	"Oh Son of Kunti!  Since the nature of the soul is
eternal, it is meaningless to grieve for it.  As the material body is
temporary, it is certain that its existence in its current state will
come to an end.  Whether one grieves for the body or not will not change
this fact.  Never will there be a time when the soul will cease to
exist."

Arjuna:	"Oh Son of Devaki!  What is the reason for the immortality of
the soul?  Why is the body of temporary nature?"

Sri Bhagavaan:	"Oh Paandava!  Since the soul is subtler (smaller in
dimension) than any material object, it is capable of pervading any
material object.  In other words, since it is smaller than any proton,
electron, quark or sub divisions of these particles yet to be
discovered, it is capable of entering into these objects.  The reverse
is not possible.  A weapon necessarily has to be smaller than the object
it seeks to destroy.  Therefore knives, hammers etc cannot destroy the
soul.  For all these reasons, it is not possible for us to perceive the
soul.  Saastras have made it very clear that the state of existence of
the body is temporary.  Therefore do not grieve for either the body or
the soul.  Perform your duty of fighting the battle with the aim of
attaining liberation without being attached to the results of the war."

Arjuna:	"Vaasudeva!  If the soul is indestructible, then how do we
reconcile the regular usage of statements like - "He kills a man.  He
kills a goat.  He kills a bull." with the above?  If it were to refer to
just the destruction of these bodies, then we should saying, "He killed
his mother and father" when an individual cremates their bodies.
Therefore, we have to necessarily mean that the soul is being destroyed
when we talk about killing.  In that case, how will the logic of the
immortality of the soul hold?"

Sri Bhagavaan:	"One who thinks that there exists a weapon capable of
destroying the indestructible soul and one who thinks that the soul can
be destroyed by an object are both mistaken.  They have not understood
the truth.  Since the soul is eternal, it is not capable of being
destroyed by any object.  There does not exist an object that can
destroy the soul.  Therefore expressions like "killing" and its
derivatives should not be understood to mean the destruction of the
nature of the soul.  It only refers to the separation of the present
body from the soul.  This is what the Saastras say.  The soul is neither
born at the time of creation, nor dies at the time of dissolution of the
universe.  The talk of creation and destruction at the beginning and end
of time (kalpa) refers only to the material body, not to the eternal
soul."

Arjuna:	Kanna!  (I accept the fact that) the eternal soul cannot be
destroyed.  Transmigration of the soul between various bodies alone
takes place.  But still how can you tell me not to grieve?  If I fight
this war and separate the souls from the bodies of kings and they get
future bodies as animals and birds as a result of their karma, then is
that not cause for grieving?  I cannot be asked to rejoice just because
they are going to get a new, rejuvenated body.  Since there is no
guarantee that by killing these kings, I am assuring them of bodies of
demigods (superior birth) in the future, how can I not grieve for the
separation of the body from the soul of these kings?

Sri Bhagavaan:	"Paartha!  Just as a man discards worn out clothing and
replaces them with new and more attractive clothing, soldiers discarding
their bodies in a just war are assured of newer and more attractive
bodies.  Therefore, even though you need not rejoice, there is no need
to grieve either."

If you enjoyed the above post please support Sri Ranganatha Temple which
made this possible.  Send your tax deductible check to Sri Ranganatha
Temple.  117 Demarest Mill Road, West Nyack, NY 10994.  or visit

http://dileepan.busi.utc.edu/ahboard.html

for monthly direct debits from your bank account.  Please visit Sri
Ranganatha Temple homepage at 

http://www.geocities.com/~ahobilam/ranga.html

and enjoy the beauty of this archa avataram from the comfort of your
home or office.

adiyen
jaganath.