Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 17

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।
विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति ॥

Transliteration

avināśi tu tadviddhi yena sarvamidaṃ tatam .
vināśamavyayasyāsya na kaścitkartumarhati ॥

Meaning

Know that to be indestructible by which all this is pervaded. No one can bring about the destruction of this imperishable reality.

Word meanings

अविनाशि – indestructible
तु – indeed
तत् – that
विद्धि – know
येन – by which
सर्वम् – all
इदम् – this (universe)
ततम् – is pervaded
विनाशम् – destruction
अव्ययस्य – of the imperishable
अस्य – of this
न कश्चित् – no one
कर्तुम् – to bring about
अर्हति – is able

Anvaya (word order)

येन इदं सर्वं ततम्, तत् तु अविनाशि विद्धि । अस्य अव्ययस्य विनाशं कर्तुं कश्चित् न अर्हति ।

Explanation

The previous verse stated the principle of the real; now Krishna identifies it. It is that ‘yena sarvam idam tatam’, by which all this is pervaded. Just as space pervades every object, yet does not break when an object breaks, so this conscious reality pervades everything, yet is not destroyed when any body perishes.

‘Avyaya’ means that which suffers no diminution. Everything in the world slowly wears away: wealth is spent, the body ages, even mountains erode. But the Self has no parts, so no part of it can be lost. What is partless cannot be broken.

‘Na kashchit kartum arhati’ — no one can destroy it. The message to Arjuna is direct: your arrows reach only bodies, never the Self. Shankara sees this all-pervading reality as Brahman, the one Self present in all beings. Ramanuja reads it as the individual self which, though subtle, pervades its whole body as consciousness — and this self too no one can destroy.

The verse invites us to see this imperishable presence in every living being. When we recognise the same consciousness in others, respect, compassion and fearlessness enter our conduct naturally.

Context

In 2.16 Krishna declared that the real never ceases to be. Here He identifies that real as the indestructible Self that pervades all. In the next verse (2.18) He contrasts the perishable bodies with the eternal Self and tells Arjuna to fight.

Life lesson

Within every being is an indestructible consciousness that no one can destroy. Remembering this lessens fear and deepens respect for others.

Key terms

Avinashi: indestructible
Avyaya: imperishable, undiminishing
Tatam: pervaded, spread through