Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 21 (BG 2.21) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

2.21 वेद knows? अविनाशिनम् indestructible? नित्यम् eternal? यः who? एनम् this (Self)? अजम् unborn? अव्ययम् inexhaustible? कथम् how? सः he (that)? पुरुषः man? पार्थ O Partha (son of Pritha)? कम् whom? घातयति causes to be slain? हन्ति kills? कम् whom.Commentary The enlightened sage who knows the immutable and indestructible Self through direct cognition or spiritual Anubhava (experience) cannot do the act of slaying. He cannot cause another to slay also.

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Modern

The atman cannot be described through direct definition, but it can be indicated through eternal, imperishable, and similar words. In this verse, through a rhetorical question, the Lord affirms the principle established in the preceding verses: the person who knows the imperishable atman is never overwhelmed by sorrow when facing the realities of life. Upon understanding the immutable, imperishable, unborn, and eternal nature of the atman, what person would claim authorship of actions? The Lord declares that such a person neither slays nor causes another to be slain. It is important to note that this statement applies to both the Lord and Arjun. If Arjun himself grasps this truth, then the question of his being the slayer of the unborn atman dissolves entirely. How is the atman imperishable? The next verse clarifies this through an illustration.