BG 2.19

ya enam vetti hantaram

yas cainam manyate hatam

ubhau tau na vijanito

nayam hanti na hanyate

SYNONYMS

yah — anyone who; enam — this; vetti — knows; hantaram — the killer; yah — anyone who; ca — also; enam — this; manyate — thinks; hatam — killed; ubhau — both; tau — they; na — never; vijanitah — are in knowledge; na — never; ayam — this; hanti — kills; na — nor; hanyate — is killed.

TRANSLATION

Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain.

ya enam vetti hantaram, enam vetti, so one who thinks this to be hantaram, the destroyer, yas cainam manyate hatam, one who thinks that the soul is destroyed. ubhau tau, both of them na vijanito, neither of them actually know nayam hanti na hanyate, the soul neither kills, nor is it killed.

Now in this verse it is very easy to understand that the soul is not killed. Sri Krishna has explained that the soul is indestructible. But what is the meaning of soul is not killer? Obviously Arjuna is going to shoot the arrow at opponents, he is going to be the killer isn’t it? So actually the statement is to be understood in the context; the previous verse was saying that the body is perishable (2.18), because the body is going to be perishable, so the body is going to die by its own course in the course of nature.

Thus, the body is destroyed and it cannot be avoided. When the soul in the body is separated at death that is unavoidable. If someone thinks I am the killer, that is Karta Aham mentality—I am the doer (this will be discussed more in 3.26 and further in 5th chapter). But, here it is not that anyone can kill anyone and say, nayam hanti na hanyate—I am not the killer—and no one is killed because the soul cannot be destroyed.

Srila Prabhupada has quoted, mā hiṁsyāt sarvā bhūtāni: never commit violence to anyone. Scripture tells us not to commit violence. Srila Prabhupada has mentioned that “Killing the body of anyone without authority is abominable and is punishable by the law of the state as well as by the law of the Lord”.

So here Krishna is talking about the overall pattern of material nature. Body is imperishable and destruction cannot be avoided. And He is also talking about Arjuna’s Kshetriya’s duty. He cannot flinch his duty. By running away from his duty Arjuna cannot change course of nature. The course of nature is that people have to suffer and die. One cannot change that by doing some adjustment or change. Therefore, why give up duty? So Krishna gives further argument to fight valiantly by dispelling the fear of committing sin toward his family members defending on the side of unjust Duryodhana.