Srimad Bhagavadgeeta : Ch-13. Slo-33.

Saturday, August 23, 2014.


Srimad Bhagavadgeeta :



Chapter-13. (Kshetra-kshetrajna-vibhaga-yogam )



Slogam-33.



Yatha  sarvagatam   soukshamiyat  akasam  nopalipyate,


Sarvatravasthito   dehe   tathatma  nopalipyate.



Sarvagatam  akasam   =   The sky almost spread everywhere,

Soukshmiyat   =   Due to its subtle nature,

Yatha  na  upalipyate   =   In what way, does not affected by pollution,

Tatha,  sarvatra  dehe   =   That way, in all bodies,

Avasthitah  atma   =   The Atma ( present ),

Na upalipyate   =   ( is not ) Affected by pollution.




As the sky is all pervading and in its subtlety never affected by  anything ( pollution), so does the soul within the body never polluted.

The way the all-pervading sky never mixes with anything, also this embodied soul never mixes.


The sky, due to its subtle nature, does not mix with anything, although it is all-pervading. Similarly, the soul, situated in Brahman vision, does not mix with the body, though situated in that body.

The air enters into water, mud, stool and whatever else is there; still it does not mix with anything. Similarly, the living entity, even though situated in varieties of bodies, is aloof from them due to his subtle nature. Therefore it is impossible to see with the material eyes how the living entity is in contact with this body and how he is out of it after the destruction of the body. No one in science can ascertain this.


  
An example is being given by Lord Krishna that just as the akasam or ether existing everywhere being supra-subtle is not contaminated by anything and unaffected; so is the atma or immortal soul although abiding in all jivas or embodied beings some superior like demigods and some inferior as animals it is unaffected and not implicated by the activities performed by any jiva and never subject to any reactions of merit or demerit. 


Lord Krishna uses the word akasam which means ether and denotes space. As space prevails everywhere and encompasses all objects, yet by its extremely subtle nature the properties of any object are not able to influence, taint or modify it. In the same way the atma or individual immortal soul being subatomic resides within the bodies of all jivas or embodied beings but the physical properties, attributes and qualities that pertain to such bodies be they demigods, human, animal, etc. are unable to influence, taint or modify it. 


It may also be questioned how is it that paramatma or the all pervading Supreme Soul and the localised atma or individual immortal soul are not contaminated and infected by the material qualities associated with the physical body such as pleasure and pain, joy and distress. Lord Krishna replies to such with the analogy of ether which atomically is existing everywhere all through prakriti the material substratum pervading physical existence and as such is not contaminated or modified by any object. In the same way paramatma and the atma although abiding within the physical bodies of all jivas or embodied beings is not contaminated or modified by the merits or demerits associated with the actions of the physical body.