Devanagari
वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम् ।
कथं स पुरुषः पार्थ कं घातयति हन्ति कम् ॥ २१ ॥
Verse text
vedāvināśinaṁ nityaṁ
ya enam ajam avyayam
kathaṁ sa puruṣaḥ pārtha
kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam
Synonyms
veda
—
knows
;
avināśinam
—
indestructible
;
nityam
—
always existing
;
yaḥ
—
one who
;
enam
—
this (soul)
;
ajam
—
unborn
;
avyayam
—
immutable
;
katham
—
how
;
saḥ
—
that
;
puruṣaḥ
—
person
;
pārtha
—
O Pārtha (Arjuna)
;
kam
—
whom
;
ghātayati
—
causes to hurt
;
hanti
—
kills
;
kam
—
whom.
Translation
O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
21. He who knows constantly, that this soul is indestructible, unborn, and eternal, kills whom and how? Whom does he cause others to kill and how?
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
21. He who knows constantly that this soul is indestructible, unborn, and without decay, kills no one, for how can he kill the ātmā? Nor does he cause others to kill anyone, for how can he cause others to kill the ātmā?
Purport
Everything has its proper utility, and a man who is situated in complete knowledge knows how and where to apply a thing for its proper utility. Similarly, violence also has its utility, and how to apply violence rests with the person in knowledge. Although the justice of the peace awards capital punishment to a person condemned for murder, the justice of the peace cannot be blamed, because he orders violence to another person according to the codes of justice. In Manu-saṁhitā, the lawbook for mankind, it is supported that a murderer should be condemned to death so that in his next life he will not have to suffer for the great sin he has committed. Therefore, the king’s punishment of hanging a murderer is actually beneficial. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa orders fighting, it must be concluded that violence is for supreme justice, and thus Arjuna should follow the instruction, knowing well that such violence, committed in the act of fighting for Kṛṣṇa, is not violence at all because, at any rate, the man, or rather the soul, cannot be killed; so for the administration of justice, so-called violence is permitted. A surgical operation is not meant to kill the patient, but to cure him. Therefore the fighting to be executed by Arjuna at the instruction of Kṛṣṇa is with full knowledge, so there is no possibility of sinful reaction.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
With this knowledge, neither you who are fighting nor I who am urging you to
fight have any fault. Here nityam is used as an adverb: "He who knows
constantly that the soul is indestructible, unborn, and eternal.…."
The words describing the soul are used to negate the objections of Arjuna about destruction. "Whom do I (sa puruṣaḥ), the Lord, cause to be killed (by advising you to fight)? And how do I cause anyone to be killed? And whom do you kill? And how do you kill?"
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
This verse explains that one who, having such knowledge, has no fault, though he engages in war with conviction in dharma, or causes others to engage in such a war. He who understands, through logic and scripture, that the soul is indestructible (avināśīnam), unborn (ajam), and without decay (avyayam), kills whom and how does he kill when engaging in battle? Though he causes other to engage in battle, whom does he cause them to kill, and how does he cause them to kill? The use of the interrogative means that he kills no one, and cannot do it at all, nor does he cause others to kill anyone, and cannot cause it at all. Nityam is here used adverbally, with the verb (veda, he knows) meaning “constantly.”
Surrender Unto Me
Arjuna says: "The soul is eternal, I accept it, but I will be the cause of their changing of bodies! Let me not fight and they will not change their bodies!"
But Krsna replies: "You can't stop this change of bodies by your not fighting!"