Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 25 (BG 2.25) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 2.25 Here the Blessed Lord further clarifies the nature of the atman. Through the words employed here, truth is conveyed with logical reasoning. Among the unmanifest five great elements, the grossest—such as earth—is known through all five senses of perception. Yet as we ascend to subtler principles, it becomes evident that their knowledge does not come through all five senses. Water possesses no fragrance, fire has no taste, and air has no form. Thus ether, being the subtlest, is not perceptible to sight. That which is by nature the very source of ether itself cannot be known through any sense organ whatsoever. Therefore, we must acknowledge that it is unmanifest. What is perceptible to the senses is called manifest. That which lies beyond the senses is unmanifest. Though I cannot see or hear a tree within its seed, nor taste, touch, or smell it, yet I know that this very seed is the cause of the tree. In this state, we say the tree exists in unmanifest form within the seed. Thus, to call the atman unmanifest means that it is not a subject of knowledge through the senses. The Upanishads elaborate extensively that the atman, being the witness of all, cannot become an object of perception. The atman is not a subject for the senses; likewise, it is here called inconceivable, showing that through mind and intellect we cannot contemplate and reflect upon the atman as we can upon other subjects. The reason is that both mind and intellect are themselves inert matter. Yet, illumined by the light of this conscious atman, they perceive other objects. How then can they know the very source and witness that gives them consciousness? A person looking through a telescope cannot see oneself, for one cannot be both the seer and the seen simultaneously. This is the meaning of the word inconceivable. Therefore, by the words unmanifest and inconceivable, the atman should not be understood as non-existent. The atman is unchanging. Objects composed of parts are limited and subject to change. The partless atman admits of no transformation whatsoever. Thus does Sri Krishna instruct Arjuna: recognizing the atman in its pure nature, one should abandon grief. The wise person neither considers oneself the slayer nor the slain. Even if we were to accept the view of materialist thinkers and grant that the atman is not eternal, still the Blessed Lord says: