Srimad BhagavadGita

In the earlier ślokas, Kṛṣṇa explained about the indestructible nature of the soul and the destructible nature of the body. Reasons were stated for the eternal/indestructible nature of the soul and proved too. Based on the same reasons, Kṛṣṇa in this śloka establishes that this soul does not possess any of the qualities of the knowledge less body like birth, death and transformation. Kṛṣṇa says, "This soul is never born and it never dies. It is not the case that this soul gets created in the beginning of kalpa and gets destroyed at the end of kalpa. This soul is unborn, deathless, changeless and primaeval, hence it is not slain when the body is slayed."

Like the previous śloka, this śloka too is similar to a Kaṭhavalli mantra. The 1st pādams of Kaṭha upaniṣad mantra 1.2.18 na jāyate mriyate vā vipaścin... and this śloka differ by just one word. Kaṭha upaniṣad mantra has the word vipaścin (the jīva possessing knowledge) in place of kadācit (at any time) in this Gītā śloka. 

When it is said that the soul is indestructible, it implies that the soul does not undergo the ṣaḍbhāvas (six bhāvas or states namely jāyate( birth), pariṇamate( transformation), vivardhate (growth), apakṣīyate (dwindle), vinaśyate (death), asti (remaining in each state). This is explained as follows. When we say that a mud pot is destroyed, it does not mean that the pot is completely destroyed. It only means that there is a change in the pot's state from being a pot to becoming pieces. In the same manner, it is possible to say that the soul is destroyed only when it transforms from one state to another. Since the soul is indestructible, it can be concluded that the soul does not undergo any transformation or change in states. When a mud pot breaks into pieces, getting broken is the pot's destruction and breaking is its apakṣayam (deterioration). The pot's destroyed state is the birth of the kapālam state (the broken piece state of the pot). A wet lump of mud transforms little by little on a potter's wheel and finally becomes a pot. While being made into a pot on the potter's wheel, the mud acquiring the state of transformation (growth) and the completed pot upon breaking acquiring the pieces state, both are associated with a birth state of the pot. From this it can be concluded that only a destroyable substance acquires the states of apakṣayam (shrinkage), pariṇāmam ( transformation), vriddhi (growth), utpatti (birth) etc. Thus the ṣadbhāvas namely jāyate( birth), pariṇamate (transformation), vivardhate (growth), apakṣīyate (dwindle), vinaśyate (death), asti (remaining in each state) are not there for the soul.

Kṛṣṇa establishes this in the four pādams of this śloka.

na jāyate mriyate va kadācit (Unlike the body, the soul neither gets created nor does it get destroyed at any time) The 'va' here has the same meaning as the sanskṛt term 'ca' (also). At all times that the bodies acquired by the puruṣa (embodied soul) undergo the states of birth and death, they cause these experiences to be felt by the soul too. Birth and death in reality do not touch the soul. A doubt might arise that maybe the soul undergoes birth and death at certain times and not at other times. This is clarified by Kṛṣṇa by saying 'kadācit'. The word kadācit clarifies that the soul has no birth or death at any time. In the 2nd pādam of this ślokā, it is specified that at the beginning and end of the kalpa too, the soul is not created and destroyed respectively. (Kalpa is a duration of time covering a complete cosmic cycle from the origination to the destruction). In this pādam, all the intermediate time periods bound by creation and destruction within the kalpa are referred to and it is told that the soul does not undergo birth and death at these times too. (For eg: Beginning and end of each caturyugā (1 caturyugā = one cycle of satya, treta, dwāpara and kali yugas), each manvantara (roughly 71 caturyugā cycles), beginning and end of a day of Caturmukha Brahma and such other smaller cycles of creation and dissolution).

Note: A ślokā in sanskṛt is divided into four parts and each quarter is called a pādam.

In the 2nd pādam nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ, it is being declared that the soul does not undergo occasional creation and destruction too.

A doubt may arise: Though the soul may not be taking birth or dying every time it takes up bodies, it is likely that the soul is born at the time of sṛṣṭi (cosmic creation) and is destroyed at the time of the mahā pralaya (final deluge). In the upaniṣads too there are statements like tōyēna jīvān vyasasarja bhūmyām Taittirīya Nārāyanānuvākaḥ 1.4 (While creating water, HE created jīvas too on this earth) which state that Brahman created the jīvas too at the beginning of creation just like water and other elements. Moreover as the vedāntic statements announce that 'Brahman alone existed prior to creation, later with the intention that let me be many, HE became many' and 'Knowing Brahman alone makes everything else known' there is scope for the assumption that the lifetime of the souls is one kalpa, since the one and only Brahman is creating jīvas at the time of creation and they are destroyed at the time of deluge. This doubt is clarified in this pādam of the ślokā.

Clarification: 'nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ' clarifies this doubt. The prose order for it is 'ayaṃ bhūtvā bhūyaḥ na bhavitā iti na' (It is not the case that this soul gets created in the beginning of kalpa and gets destroyed at the end of kalpa) It is told in the śāstras that the bodies of certain jīvas like Caturmukha Brahma get created in the beginning of the kalpa (cosmic creation) and get destroyed at the end of kalpa (cosmic dissolution). This pādam states that this creation and destruction of bodies too does not touch their souls and that the cosmic creation and deluge that all the jīvas are subject to at the beginning and end of kalpa respectively does not lead to the creation and destruction of their souls. At a suitable time for creation every thing is recreated as it was earlier. Only specific souls like those of Caturmukha Brahma, etc, who attain liberation at the end of the kalpa do not acquire bodies again at the time of creation of this world. These souls move to paramapadam (eternal kingdom of Bhagāwan). All the other souls again take up bodies at the time of creation. Thus the 1st and 2nd pādams together assert that in any time period from the least to the greatest bound by creation and dissolution, no soul undergoes birth and death at the times of creation and dissolution respectively.The vedantic statements like tōyēna jīvān vyasasarja bhūmyām should be understood as follows. Prior to creation, all the souls rest in Brahman in a subtle form, without bodies(forms) and identities(names). The Creation of the jīvas mentioned in statements like these refers to assigning bodies to all these souls and thus manifesting them with names and forms. If this meaning is not accepted for the creation of jīvas then a contradiction will arise with various other vedāntic statements like nityo nityānām..., etc, which state that the jīva is eternal. For statements like 'HE alone existed prior to creation' too, the appropriate meaning is that the sentient jīvas and the insentient prakṛti (material nature) both rested in Brahman in subtle form without any distinctions of name and form prior to cosmic creation. Brahman who existed like this with the jīvas without their gross bodies and prakṛti in subtle form, desired that 'Let me become many' and manifested as Brahman with jīvas having gross bodies and prakṛti in gross form with distinctions of names and forms. With this explanation, the meaning of vedāntic statements which state that 'When brahman is known everything is known' becomes convincing too. Hence it can be concluded that at the beginning of creation and at the end of creation the inherent nature of the jīva does not undergo any change. Only association and disassociation with bodies happens. In this 3rd pādam, the combined meaning of the first two pādams is told. Since it is told in the first two pādams that the jīvas existing in all the 3 times (past, present and future) never get created or destroyed, it is declared in the 3rd pādam that the souls present in all the bodies have no creation and destruction. Therefore there is no flaw of repetition.

The third pādam is ajo nityaḥ śāśvato’yaṃ purāṇo (this soul is unborn, deathless, changeless and primaeval)

ajaḥ All the words in the third pādam including the word 'ajaḥ' are collective nouns and collective nouns are singular in form and plural in meaning. Therefore ajaḥ means that the souls in all the bodies have no birth.

nityaḥ Since the soul has no birth, it has no death too. Stating the absence of birth and death implies the absence of shrinkage, growth, transformation and such other changes too. Though these gross transformations do not take place in the soul since the beginning of creation, does it undergo transformation into a subtle form at the time of deluge like the prakṛti which is said to be nityā satatavikriyā? The answer to this is 'śāśvataḥ'.

śāśvataḥ (Exists in the same form forever) The soul never undergoes the kind of subtle transformations that prakṛti (material nature) continuously undergoes. If the soul is always in the same form and never changing, does it not cause frustration and aversion to the experiencer of the soul? The answer to this is 'No' and the reason is because the soul is 'purāṇaḥ'.  

purāṇaḥ  Interpreting by the nyāya akṣarasāmyān nirbṛuyāt (the principle of interpreting based on spelling), purāṇaḥ is purā api navaḥ purāṇaḥ. Purā means that this soul substance is very ancient and yet it exists every moment as if it is a new substance. Alternatively the meaning can be that the word purā denoting the past is also indicative for the present and the future times, thus conveying that the soul is as new as ever at all the three times. In 'purā api', the 'api' term is grouping the present and future times also to the past, telling us that the soul is ever fresh and new. The word 'navaḥ' here means amazing. Everything new does not cause amazement. In this case, though the soul is always in the same form and unchanging, since it causes a lot of amazement it gives a new experience every time. Kṛṣṇa is going to describe this soul as āścaryavat in the śloka 2.29 in the future. If it is claimed that the word 'purā' tells only about the past, it can be condemned as follows. To make a house which has many parts to feel like a new house in the future, activities like painting, etc, will have to be undertaken. Alternatively since this soul has no parts and was new from earlier, there is no need for any action to make it appear new in the future.

In the forth pādam na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (When the body is destroyed, the soul is not killed) Kṛṣṇa explains to Arjuna that on account of the reasons stated above, when the body gets destroyed, the soul does not get destroyed. Kṛṣṇā's intention behind saying these words 'na hanyate hanyamāne sarīre' is to tell Arjuna that, 'O Arjuna, since this soul does not get destroyed when the body is destroyed, do not get disturbed and grief stricken at the thought that you are going to kill Bhīṣma, Droṇa and such others.'