Gita 02.20 – The soul doesn’t undergo the six changes that matter does

Audio link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-02-20-the-soul-doesnt-undergo-the-six-changes-that-matter-does/

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (Bg 2.20)

Word-for-word:
na — never; jāyate — takes birth; mriyate — dies; vā — either; kadācit — at any time (past, present or future); na — never; ayam — this; bhūtvā — having come into being; bhavitā — will come to be; vā — or; na — not; bhūyaḥ — or is again coming to be; ajaḥ — unborn; nityaḥ — eternal; śāśvataḥ — permanent; ayam — this; purāṇaḥ — the oldest; na — never; hanyate — is killed; hanyamāne — being killed; śarīre — the body.

Translation:
For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

Explanation:
This verse carries a distinctly Upaniṣadic tone and theme. By “theme,” we refer to its content, and by “tone,” we mean the way it is phrased—its style and mood. The Upaniṣads specialize in the method of neti, neti (na-iti, na-iti), which translates to “not this, not this.”

We are so surrounded by material things that whenever we think of anything, we instinctively conceptualize it in terms of matter. Our understanding of existence is so deeply embedded in material conceptions that it becomes difficult for us to imagine anything that might exist beyond the material.

To help us open our minds and free them from the weeds of such misconceptions, the Upaniṣads employ the method of na-iti—”not this, not this, not this.” This approach gradually clears the entanglements of false conceptions, allowing the mind to become receptive to understanding spiritual reality.

In this verse, a similar strategy is employed: na jāyate, nāyaṁ bhūtvā, na bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ. The word na is repeated to emphasize that it is “not this, not this.”

If we examine the verse literally, it appears quite repetitious—not only reiterating what earlier verses have conveyed but also repeating its own statements in different ways.
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin : “It is not born, nor does it die.” This idea has already been expressed multiple times earlier.
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ : This can be translated in various ways, such as “It has not come into being, it is not currently in being, and it will not come into being.”
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo : These terms—unborn, eternal, everlasting, and primeval—all seem to convey similar meanings.
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre : Once again, the word ‘na’ emphasizes negation, stating that “it is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.”

To understand what this verse is actually conveying and whether it is merely repeating itself, Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, in his commentary, explains that this verse employs the ‘neti’ strategy to counter our material conceptions.

Matter, as we know, undergoes six transformations—it comes into existence, grows, maintains itself, changes in various ways (such as expanding or reproducing), deteriorates, and ultimately gets destroyed. These characteristics define the nature of matter, and the verse systematically negates these attributes to emphasize the transcendental nature of the soul, which is beyond such changes.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa refers to a specific verse from Yāska, a renowned Vedic commentator. Yāska is celebrated for his contributions, including a dictionary and a commentary. In his Nirukta, he characterizes existence, particularly at the level of matter or temporality, as undergoing six transformations.
He describes these changes as follows:
1. Jayate: It comes into existence.
2. Asti: It maintains its existence.
3. Vardhate: It grows.
4. Vipariṇamate: It changes, including reproduction.
5. Apakṣīyate: It decays.
6. Vinaśyati: It is destroyed.
These stages are closely aligned with the six transformations of matter previously discussed, illustrating the transient nature of material existence.

Kṛṣṇa emphasizes the distinction between matter and spirit, pointing out that the destruction of material bodies—such as those of Arjuna’s loved ones—does not imply the destruction of their souls. Therefore, Arjuna need not lament.

Kṛṣṇa goes beyond merely stating that the soul is indestructible—He highlights that the soul is dramatically different from matter. Unlike matter, which undergoes six changes, the soul remains unaffected by these transformations. In this context, Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa interprets verse 2.20 as a response to the common understanding of matter as that which undergoes six changes.

This verse asserts that the soul does not experience these changes—na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin. The words jāyate (creation) and vinaśyati (destruction) characterize material existence. The negation ‘na jāyate mriyate’ counters this, affirming that the soul neither comes into being nor is destroyed.

The term ‘vā’ is used in the sense of ‘and,’ while kadācin emphasizes that the soul remains indestructible under any circumstances.

nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ: “It was not born in the past, nor will it be born in the future.” This indicates that the soul does not come into existence—it simply exists.

Anything that comes into existence is also subject to going out of existence. The phase of maintenance, which applies to material entities, implies a prior state of non-existence and the eventual cessation of existence. The soul, however, is beyond this temporal framework.

The second line of the verse, nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ, emphasizes that the soul has never come into existence at any time, nor will it ever come into existence. This highlights that the soul exists outside the domain of time—it simply exists eternally, without any dependence on temporal conditions or phases.

ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo: The phrase ‘ajo nityaḥ’ indicates that the soul is unborn and eternal. This means it does not undergo any changes—it does not experience vardhate (growth).

Śāśvata means it is eternal, signifying that it exists forever without experiencing apakṣīyate (decay). Thus, ajo nityaḥ conveys that from beginning to end, the soul simply exists, unchanging. Similarly, śāśvata confirms that the soul neither grows nor deteriorates.

The word purāṇa means primeval, implying that the soul is as it was in the past and remains unchanged in the present. This eliminates the possibility of vipariṇamate (transformation). In this way, the soul is free from all changes that characterize material entities.

Because the soul is entirely different from matter, the conclusion naturally follows—na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre—the soul is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.

The key takeaway here is not necessarily the one-to-one correlation between specific words and their meanings but rather the overarching principle—the ātma does not undergo the six changes that the body experiences.

While the body is subject to growth, decay, transformation, and eventual destruction, the ātma remains unaffected by these processes. The distinction between the soul and the body is not merely that the soul is indestructible and the body is destructible. The fundamental difference lies in the fact that the soul exists outside the domain of time.

Because the soul is beyond time, it is unaffected by growth, deterioration, or change, and it does not struggle to maintain its existence. The soul simply ‘is’—it has always been, and it will always be.

By understanding the non-material, transcendental nature of the soul in analytical depth, we can gain conviction. This understanding, particularly for Arjuna, helps him overcome unnecessary sentiments and undesirable feelings that might cause him to shirk from his duty. With this conviction, Arjuna can move forward in his life and fulfill his duty as a kṣatriya. This is the essence and the import of this verse.

Thank you.