अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च ।
नित्यः सर्वगतः स्थाणुरचलोऽयं सनातनः ॥ २४ ॥
achchhedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam akledyo ’śhoṣhya eva cha
nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur achalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ
आत्मा को तोड़ा नहीं जा सकता, वह ज्वलनशील नहीं है, घुलती नहीं है और सूखती नहीं है। यह शाश्वत, सर्वत्र विद्यमान, अपरिवर्तनीय, स्थायी और चिरस्थायी है।
The soul cannot be severed, is not combustible, does not dissolve and does not dry up. It is eternal, present everywhere, unchanging, permanent and everlasting.
Bhagavad Gita 2.24 delves deeper into the nature of the soul, describing it as "unbreakable and incombustible; it can neither be dampened nor dried. It is everlasting, in all places, unalterable, immutable, and primordial." This verse reinforces the concept of the soul's indestructibility that Krishna has been emphasizing to Arjuna in previous verses.
In this verse, Krishna deliberately repeats the soul's immortal nature, using a teaching technique called punarukti or "repetition" to ensure that this profound knowledge sinks deeply into Arjuna's consciousness. As a skilled teacher, Krishna knows that merely stating a spiritual truth once is insufficient – repetition helps embed crucial concepts in the student's heart.
The verse methodically addresses various ways one might attempt to destroy something physical. Krishna tells Arjuna that the soul cannot be cut by weapons (achchhedyo), cannot be burned by fire (adāhyo), cannot be dissolved or dampened by water (akledyo), and cannot be dried up by air (aśhoṣya). These descriptions are particularly meaningful to Arjuna as a warrior who possesses weapons capable of all these actions, making the teaching immediately relatable to his experience.
Krishna further describes the soul as eternal (nitya), present everywhere (sarva-gata), stable (sthāṇu), immovable (achala), and primordial or ancient (sanātana). These qualities paint a picture of the soul as something beyond the limitations of material existence – something that transcends time, space, and physical laws. The soul's all-pervading nature is particularly significant, suggesting its ability to travel through various bodies and life forms throughout its eternal journey.
The soul is described as being so subtle that it remains beyond ordinary human perception and mental conception. This subtlety explains why we cannot physically observe the soul despite its presence in all living beings. Krishna is guiding Arjuna to understand that what we truly love in others is not their temporary physical form but the eternal soul within – which can never be destroyed.
While Krishna describes the soul as acintya or beyond conception, this doesn't mean the soul is completely unknowable. Rather, it suggests that conventional intellectual approaches are insufficient for fully comprehending the soul's nature. The proper means to understand the soul is through the wisdom of the ancient Vedic knowledge that Krishna is sharing with Arjuna.
This verse stands as a profound reminder of our true identity beyond the physical body. By emphasizing the soul's indestructible, unchangeable, and eternal nature, Krishna is addressing Arjuna's immediate grief while simultaneously revealing one of the most fundamental spiritual truths – that we are not these temporary bodies but eternal spiritual beings. This realization forms the foundation for the spiritual wisdom Krishna continues to unfold throughout the Bhagavad Gita.
Experience the Bhagavad Gita in a modern avatar on the BGFA app, with videos, explanations, lessons and more!
