Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya: “What an astonishing thing you are describing! The term ‘ca’ (and) implies that even amongst the seers, the speakers and hearers, one with authentic percepetion, authentic speech and authentic hearing, is a rarity. To this Lord Krishna states that all is unmanifest in its primordial state which is characterised by the three qualities known as sattva, rajas and tamas and which is a prior stage of creation to the illusory energy and material creation. Virgil and Ovid regarded this doctrine as self-evident. Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings: āścarya-vat — as amazing; paśyati — sees; kaścit — someone; enam — this soul; āścarya-vat — as amazing; vadati — speaks of; tathā — thus; eva — certainly; ca — also; anyaḥ — another; āścarya-vat — similarly amazing; ca — also; enam — this soul; anyaḥ — another; śṛṇoti — hears of; śrutvā — having heard; api — even; enam — this soul; veda — knows; na — never; ca — and; eva — certainly; kaścit — someone. srutvapy enam veda na caiva kascit. In the "Gita," Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that the wise person knows that even though every human is destined to die, the soul is immortal: "For death is certain to one who is born...thou shalt not grieve for what is unavoidable." The Bhagavad Gita (/ ˌ b ʌ ɡ ə v ə d ˈ ɡ iː t ɑː,-t ə /; Sanskrit: भगवद् गीता, IAST: bhagavad-gītā /b ɦ ɐɡɐʋɐd ɡiːtäː/, lit. Just as the embodied soul continuously passes from childhood to youth to old age, similarly, at the time of death, the soul passes into another body. Bhagavad-Gita: chapter 2, verse 10 Observing Arjuna overwhelmed with grief at not properly perceiving the actual distinction between the physical body and the soul and yet discoursing in the way that one with proper knowledge of the soul existing I shall die out of man and shall become an angel!” [v10], Many of the early Christians believed in the concept of reincarnation. It is simply due to ignorance about the true nature of the eternal soul. He is everlasting, present everywhere, … Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of … In fact, modern science informs us that cells within the body undergo regeneration—old cells die away and new ones take their place. Even more recently, it has even been studied in serious scientific circles at major universities, exemplified by the works of Dr. Ian Stevenson and Dr. Jim Tucker, both at the University of Virginia. So when the correct understanding of birth and death is realized then what possibly is the necessity for lamentation as it is not befitting one who is situated in spiritual intelligence. For example, amongst Occidental religions, Josephus, the great ancient Jewish historian, used language in his writings that seem to ascribe belief in some form of reincarnation among the Pharisees and Essenes of his day. Because it is subatomic it is imperceptible and yet it is still existing. Translation of Bhagavad Gita 2.29. Christian history informs us that, in the 553 AD, the Council of Nicaea, a conclave, was held to discuss the principle of reincarnation, and it was thereafter declared a heresy, apparently to increase the authority of the Church over the lives of the people. Five Years of Food Distribution in Andhra Pradesh by the... Food Distribution at Urban Deprived Residential Hostel. Certainly the Jewish Kabbalah prescribes to the idea of reincarnation as gilgul neshamot, or the “rolling of the soul.” The great Sufi mystic, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi declared: I died out of the stone and I became a plant; I died out of the plant and became an animal; I died out of the animal and became a man. What is there to be amazed at for the Supreme Lord to say: It is amazing? Men with a poor fund of knowledge and men who are not austere cannot understand the wonders of the individual atomic spark of spirit, even though it is explained by the greatest authority of knowledge, who imparted lessons even to Brahma, the first living being in the universe. Why should I blame you alone regarding a thing that is a source of delusion to all!’ How is this Self inscrutable? This is being answered in, ‘Someone visualizes It as a wonder,’ etc. Until then, it was commonly accepted. In Buddhism, the Buddha made references to his past lives repeatedly. The writer also used various other scriptures like Bhram Samhita, Bhagvat Puran, Manu Smriti, etc. BG 2.13: Therefore the spiritually intelligent see the eternal soul as a marvellous expansion of the Supreme Lord and upon realisation of this reality are amazed. The German philosophers Goethe, Fichte, Schelling, and Lessing accepted it. --Bg 2.23. He who speaks of It and the who hears of It is indeed rare among many thousands. The Bhagavad Gita explains the concepts of Hindu Reincarnation and the eternal Soul. Thus they are of the same nature although there is modification during the intermediate stage from birth to death as is established in the Vedanta Sutra, II:XV,XVI of Vedavyasa which states: because of the existence of the cause, the effect is perceived; the effect is non-different from the cause although being posterior because it is existent in the cause. “Yes, the atma is truly astonishing.” The Lord then speaks this verse. Therefore wisdom about Him is very similar to perceiving Him. This brief overview of the Bhagavad Gita, includes select shloka from each chapter frequently It should not under any circumstances be erroneously assumed or mistakingly believed that from a non-existent condition the existent was produced and that because of the cause being non-existent then the effect is non- existent and thus the world is also non-existent. To share feedback or volunteer for this project, write to : "d i v a k a r (at) jkyog (dot) in", © 2014, Bhagavad Gita - The Song of God, by Swami Mukundananda. Start your day with a nugget of timeless inspiring wisdom from the Holy Bhagavad Gita delivered straight to your email! shrinvanto ’pi bahavo yam na vidyuh He now explains this concept. Amazing indeed is the Supreme Lord and it is not possible to find any other comparable to Him. But, if this Self is, in this manner, changeless (or destructionless), why is This not observed just as such by all ? Another will talk of the eternal soul as amazing and another will hear of the eternal soul as amazing. ascarya-vad vadati tathaiva canyah Within the mainstream Abrahamic faiths, mystics of the three major religions also supported reincarnation. Share these articles on facebook to help spread awareness of Hinduism on the internet. This original matter although extremely subtle and subatomic is revealed in the Vedic scriptures and is perceived by one whose consciousness has attained the realization of that state. When smell moves from one place to another, at that time air is always with it. One realising the eternal soul as all pervading and of super natural eternity, knowledge and bliss is bewildered and overcome by its incomprehensibility as in the case of something beyond ones capacity to conceive. The Bhagavad Gita plainly states that soul is the living entity that is able … And yet, despite the continual change of the body, we perceive that we are the same person. Belief in reincarnation is also found in many tribal societies around the world, in places such as Siberia, West Africa, North America, and Australia. [It may be argued that the Self is the object of egoism. I am the super soul seated in the hearts of all living entities. It is very difficult to find a man who perfectly understands the position of the Supersoul, the atomic soul, their respective functions and relationships and all other major and minor details. Repeating these verses does not cause boredom but increases peace in the mind. āścarya-vat paśyati kaścid enam Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya: Since Gitopanishad is largely based on the principles of the Upanishads, it is not surprising to also find this passage in the Katha Upanishad (1.2.7): sravanayapi bahubhir yo na labhyah The soul is the living entity. Today. And this is more astonishing: though I am being enlightened by you, my lack of discernment does not go away.”. Such a one speaks of It to another. This means Life Sloka contains spiritual dimensions instilled by ancestors from generation to generation, from their understanding and interpretation of the existence of God and the Individual Soul in relation to nature (Tri Hita Karana). Jesus indirectly proclaimed this doctrine when he told his disciples that John the Baptist was Elijah the Prophet reincarnated (Matthew 11:13-14, Matthew 17:10-13). The soul is birth-less, eternal, imperishable and timeless and is never destroyed when the body is destroyed. Bhagavad Gita: You Are Not The Body 03/21/2012 04:18 pm ET Updated Jun 19, 2013 When I first came across this concept, in the Bhagavad Gita , about 20 years ago, I … The wise are not deluded by this. Using the terms of Atma, Jivatma, and Paramatma, the Gita describes not only our individual souls, but the interaction of souls up to the highest level of Divinity. But if, somehow or other, one is able to understand the subject matter of the soul, then one’s life is successful. Therefore, the idea is that the Self is difficult to understand. This has already been refuted and clarified by Vedavyasa in Vedanta-Sutra, II:XIX where it states: That as a cloth is non-different from its threads, an effect is also non-different from it’s cause. And even after hearing of It, no one knows It exactly that It really exists. Back to Bhagavad Gita Quotes. The individual fragmental spirit soul is represented by Arjuna, and the Supreme Soul is the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. Kascit, someone; pasyati, visualizes; enam, It, the Self; ascaryavat, as a wonder, as though It were a wonder — a wonder is something not seen before, something strange, something seen all on a sudden; what is comparable to that is ascarya-vat; ca, and; tatha, similarly; eva, indeed; kascit, someone; anyah, else; vadati, talks of It as a wonder. The biggest fear in our … Shree Krishna draws Arjun’s attention to the fact that, since the body is constantly changing, in one lifetime itself, the soul passes through many bodies. With immaculate logic, Shree Krishna establishes the principle of transmigration of the soul from lifetime to lifetime. Consequently, it is devoid of the six types of transformations: asti, jāyate, vardhate, vipariṇamate, apakṣhīyate, and vinaśhyati “Existence in the … As this is all in accordance with cosmic order there is certainly no reason to lament for this. This is the list of 108 of the most important slokas from the Bhagavad-gita As It Is (1972 Macmillan Edition) by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. In this verse, the word deha means “the body” and dehi means “possessor of the body,” or the soul. The word va occurring twice is used in the sense of and as in and the immortal soul does not come into existence by birth. Your email address will not be published. The Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Sanskrit text considered holy in the Vedic and Hindu religions, takes an intriguing perspective when approaching the soul. Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya: Even when the soul has departed from the physical body and no longer connected as is inevitable at the time of death and the bodies of respected elders like Bhishma are no longer perceptible still what is the necessity for grief? Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya: 2.29 Among innumerable beings, someone, who by great austerity has got rid of sins and has increased his merits, realises this self possessing the above mentioned nature, which is wonderful and distinct in kind from all things other than Itself. Perhaps they have no idea that one must think of the soul, and thus make a solution to the material miseries. Some people who are inclined to hear about the soul may be attending lectures, in good association, but sometimes, owing to ignorance, they are misguided by acceptance of the Supersoul and the atomic soul as one without distinction of magnitude. Origen, the most learned of the Christian Fathers, declared: “Every man receives a body for himself according to his deserts in former lives [v11].” Solomon’s Book of Wisdom says: “To be born in sound body with sound limbs is a reward of the virtues of the past lives.” (Wisdom of Solomon 8:19-20) [v12]. Further, the molecules within the cells change even more rapidly. The verses of Bhagavad Gita are transcendental and not made of mundane sound. Among Western poets, Browing, Rosetti, Tennyson, and Wordsworth, to mention just a few, all believed in it. It is the fruit of selfless devotional action. The King read out the sloka. The slokas are from various chapters and text in Bhagavad Gita which are specified in each sloka, like the first sloka is taken from Chapter 1 and Text 1 so its serial number is 1.1. ... [ bhagavad gita slokas ] Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all. ascarya-vac cainam anyah srnoti So existence by conception is proven false due to the fact the eternal soul is birthless. In this verse, the word deha means “the body” and dehi means “possessor of the body,” or the soul. Source: Bhagavad Geeta 2.23 Sanskrit transcript: He says, ‘O descendant of Bharata, this embodied Self’, etc. Illusioned by the material energy, people are so engrossed in subject matters for sense gratification that they have very little time to understand the question of self-understanding, even though it is a fact that without this self-understanding all activities result in ultimate defeat in the struggle for existence. Why then should I fear to die? Unauthorized copy, reproduction, distribution and/or transmission is strictly prohibited. Actually, what we term as “death” in worldly parlance is merely the soul discarding its old dysfunctional body, and what we call “birth” is the soul taking on a new body elsewhere. The King asked “ what are you doing here?’’ The next moment the Vishnudutas came and took the soul back home back to Godhead. Right before his eyes the horse died and the soul came out. Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya: Why then is it seen that even men possessing intelligence lament in this world? Translation. Even after listening, not even one understands This i.e., realises This. Required fields are marked *, News and Activities from the Bhaktivedanta Ashram. And it is still more difficult to find a man who has actually derived full benefit from knowledge of the soul, and who is able to describe the position of the soul in different aspects.