Srimad BhagavadGita

In B.G śloka 2.17 avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṃ tatam (Know that the soul by which all these insentient substances are pervaded, is indestructible) Kṛṣṇa declared that the soul is indestructible and in the ślokas that followed, HE continued to build on it. In these two ślokas Kṛṣṇa out of HIS mercy further explains the complex concept of soul's indestructibility by giving specific details in order to clear Arjuna's doubts and make it easier for him to understand. Kṛṣṇa says,"Weapons like the sword do not cut the soul, fire does not burn and destroy it, water does not dissolve and destroy it and wind does not dry and destroy this soul.This soul cannot be cut, cannot be burnt or even dried, is insoluble and pervades all insentient matter. It is therefore eternal, has a stable nature, is immovable and primeval."

nainaṃ chindanti śastrāṇi We see around us that many inanimate substances are severed and deformed by weapons such as a knife, sword, etc. No tool or weapon can cut and destroy the soul in that manner. This meaning is affirmed by the usage of the word acchedyo’yam (this soul cannot be cut) by Kṛṣṇa in the next śloka.

nainaṃ dahati pāvakaḥ We see around us that many inanimate substances are burnt and deformed by fire. Fire cannot deform the soul in that manner. This meaning is affirmed by the word adāhyoyam (cannot be burnt) in the next śloka.

na cainaṃ kledayanty-āpaḥ It is commonly seen that substances such as salt and sugar get soaked, dissolved and deformed by water. Water does not have the ability to dissolve and alter the form of the soul in that manner. In line with the meaning given in the case of weapons and fire that the soul's form cannot be altered by them, here it is said that water cannot dissolve and thus alter the soul's form.

na śoṣayati mārutaḥ Wind blows away the water in a substance and causes its drying and deformation. Wind does not have the ability to blow off or dry up the soul and alter its form in that manner.

Doubt: Arjuna might come up with a doubt that, even if weapons, fire, water and wind cannot deform the soul, are there other substances that could cut, burn, dissolve or dry this soul? 

Clarification: Kṛṣṇa clears this doubt in the first part of the śloka 2.24 by stating that this soul does not get severed, burnt, dissolved or dried by any substance. Below are the words stating this.

acchedyoyam This soul is not something that can be severed and deformed by any substance like a weapon, etc, that can sever.

adāhyoyam This soul is not something that can be burnt and deformed by any substance like fire, etc. that can burn.

akledyoyam This soul is not something that can be dissolved and deformed by any substance like water, etc. that can dissolve.

aśoṣyaḥ eva ca This soul is not something that can be dried up and deformed by any substance like wind, etc, that can dry up.

Thus it is clarified that this soul can neither be severed, burnt, dissolved or dried by materials such as weapons, fire, water and wind which are commonly known to cause such changes in substances nor can any other existing material cause such changes in the soul in any manner known or unknown to mankind.

In the latter part of śloka 2.24, Kṛṣṇa says that the eternal nature of the soul has been established in the former part of the śloka and HE explains this eternal nature in detail here.

nityaḥ (As described in the previous one and a half ślokas, since no substance can cause a change in the soul's form, the soul is indestructible and thus eternal.

Q: Why is it that no substance can cause destruction of the soul?

A: sarvagataḥ (Since the soul can pervade all substances of this world) is the answer. This soul is subtler than any substance present in this world which can perform the acts of severing, burning, dissolving and drying. It is possible for substances like weapons, fire, water and wind to cause these form changes in other substances only by entering into them and pervading them. However since the soul itself can enter and pervade into all these substances and is subtler than all of them, it is not possible for any of them to enter, pervade and deform the soul by severing, burning, dissolving or drying it and to thus destroy it.

Q: The soul cannot be destroyed by any substance but can it get destroyed by itself with the passage of time as seen in the case of insentient matter?

A: sthānuḥ (stable) is the answer to this. Since it is the soul's quality to be stable (without any changes), it is not subject to destruction due to kāla (time). 

Q: Though kāla does not cause any changes in the inherent nature of the soul, will it cause destruction of the soul's qualities?

A: acalaḥ (immovable) is the answer to this. It is not at all possible for kāla, etc, to cause a change even in the soul's qualities like knowledge, etc.       

A doubt might arise in this regard: But we see contraction and expansion in the soul's knowledge? For

eg: when the soul is in a tree's body we see a contraction in its knowledge VS when the soul is in a

human body.  

Clarification: As the statement says, prakāsyante na janyante (the qualities of the soul like knowledge,

etc, are only manifested but not newly created) In that manner knowledge and such other qualities of the

souls keep getting covered and then uncovered. The covering alone keeps getting placed and removed but

there is no creation or destruction of those qualities. Like explained by 'acchedyaḥ...', with the word

sthānuḥ too Kṛṣṇa declares that the soul is not eligible for destruction by any means. Similarly, as explained

in 'nainam chindanti...', the word acalaḥ too declares that the soul cannot be moved by any means of

destruction like weapons, fire, etc. Thus the soul is changeless.

Q: As determined earlier, the soul may be indestructible but what about origin or birth? Does the soul have an origin?

A: sanātanaḥ (It is ancient) is the answer to this which means that the soul has no birth too. Since the word nityaḥ only told that the soul cannot be destroyed, the meaning for the word sanātanaḥ must be taken as 'ancient and without an origin' That's the reason why Bhagawad Rāmānuja gave the meaning for sanātanaḥ as purātanasca (ancient, without a beginning).