Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 24

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च ।
नित्यः सर्वगतः स्थाणुरचलोऽयं सनातनः ॥

Transliteration

acchedyo.ayamadāhyo.ayamakledyo.aśoṣya eva ca .
nityaḥ sarvagataḥ sthāṇuracalo.ayaṃ sanātanaḥ ॥

Meaning

This Self cannot be cut, burned, wetted or dried. It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable and everlasting.

Word meanings

अच्छेद्यः – cannot be cut
अयम् – this (Self)
अदाह्यः – cannot be burned
अक्लेद्यः – cannot be wetted
अशोष्यः – cannot be dried
एव च – and indeed
नित्यः – eternal
सर्वगतः – all-pervading
स्थाणुः – stable, firm like a pillar
अचलः – immovable
सनातनः – everlasting, primeval

Anvaya (word order)

अयम् अच्छेद्यः, अयम् अदाह्यः, अक्लेद्यः अशोष्यः एव च; अयं नित्यः सर्वगतः स्थाणुः अचलः सनातनः (अस्ति) ।

Explanation

What the previous verse said in the negative — that weapons, fire, water and wind cannot affect the Self — is stated here as the Self's very nature: it is by nature uncuttable, unburnable, unwettable and undryable. These elements fail to touch the Self not by chance but because of what the Self is.

Five more epithets follow. ‘Nitya’ — ever-existing. ‘Sarvagata’ — present everywhere. ‘Sthanu’ — firm as a pillar, never changing its nature. ‘Achala’ — immovable, going nowhere and coming from nowhere. ‘Sanatana’ — primeval, existing from beginningless time, in which nothing new arises.

A question arises: if the Self is immovable, how does it ‘go’ from one body to another? Shankara answers that the Self itself does not move; just as the space inside a pot seems to move when the pot is carried, the Self appears to travel along with the subtle body. Ramanuja interprets ‘sarvagata’ as the individual self's capacity, being extremely subtle, to enter all things, its own nature remaining constant.

These epithets are not mere repetition but themes for deep contemplation. Dwelling on each word, the mind gradually moves towards the experience of its true nature, distinct from the body.

Context

In 2.23 Krishna said physical elements cannot affect the Self. Here He presents this as the Self's nature and adds further qualities. In the next verse (2.25) He calls the Self unmanifest, unthinkable and unchanging, and asks Arjuna to give up grief.

Life lesson

Recognise within yourself that steady, unmoving centre that never changes. However unstable outer life may be, staying connected to that centre keeps the mind at peace.

Key terms

Sarvagata: all-pervading
Sthanu: firm as a pillar, stable
Sanatana: primeval, eternal