२.३० देही नित्यमवध्यो अयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत
तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं विकम्पितुमर्हसि

2.30 Dehee nityam avadhyo'yam dehe sarvasya bhaarata;
Tasmaat sarvaani bhootaani na twam shochitum arhasi.

देही Dehee — the owner of the material body;
नित्यम् nityam — eternally;
अवध्य avadhyah — cannot be killed;
अयम् ayam — this soul;
देहे dehe — in the body;
अयम् ayam — this soul;
सर्वस्य sarvasya — of everyone;
भारत bhaarata — o descendant of Bharata;
तस्मात् Tasmaat — therefore;
सर्वाणि sarvaani — all;
भूतनि bhootaani — living entities (that are born);
न na — never;
त्वम् tvam — you;
शोचितुम् shochitum — to lament;
अर्हसि arhasi — deserve.

30. This, the Indweller in the body of everyone, is always indestructible, O Arjuna! Therefore, thou shouldst not grieve for any creature.

Tool - Sense - Element

nose - smell - earth
tounge - taste - water
eyes - vision - fire
skin - touch - air
ears - hearing(sound) - sky


The sense of smell, taste, vision, touch and hearing are the 5 senses and earth, water, fire, air and sky are the 5 elements or panchabootas (pancha + bhootas)

The first element, earth has all the five senses. It retains its shape and weight. You can smell it, taste it, see it, touch it and hear through it.
- Mind can “know” this element through 5 senses. ie it is bound by 5 senses
- you keep it some where it stays there, no freedom

The second element water has no specific form. It takes the shape of the container, but it has specific weight. You cannot smell it. You can taste still taste it, see it, touch it, and you can hear the gushing of water.
-Mind can “know” this element through 4 senses ie it is bound by 4 senses
- you keep it somewhere it flows. but still obeys gravity, i.e 2 dimensional freedom

The third element fire has no taste. It can neither retain its shape nor does it carry any weight! It can be only seen and felt. Ears can hear it crackle!
-Mind can “know” this element through 3 senses ie it is bound by 3 senses
-you keep it some where it “flows” without gravity! 3 dimensional freedom

The fourth element air has no shape, weight. It cannot be seen. It can only be felt through touch and you can hear the sound of the wind.
- Mind can “know” this element through 2 senses ie it is bound by 2 senses
- you cannot keep it somewhere, bcos it is everywhere! FREEDOM !!!!

The fifth element sky cannot even be felt! It can only be known as a place of “no sound” !
- Mind can “know” this as a “space” or sth without “sound” ie it is bound by 1 sense
- sky/space exists even where there is no air. It exists not only on earth and some plants like “air” but it is absolutely everywhere, all over the cosoms! This is an element with ABSOLUTE FREEDOM


Now, “The Self” that we talk about is not bound by any of these 5 senses. So we can only marvel at it!!! It is more “all-pervading” than the all pervading space that we know of and with more freedom than the “ABSOLUTE FREEDOM”

2.29 आश्र्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्र्चिदेनम्
आश्र्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः
आश्र्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः र्शणोति
श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्र्चित्

2.29 Aashcharyavat pashyati kashchid enam
Aashcharyavad vadati tathaiva chaanyah;
Aashcharyavacchainam anyah shrinoti
Shrutwaapyenam veda na chaiva kashchit.

Aashcharyavat — as amazing;
pashyati — sees;
kashchit — someone;
enam — this soul;
Aashcharyavat — as amazing;
vadati — speaks of;
tath' — thus;
eva — certainly;
ca — also;
anyah — another;
Aashcharyavat — similarly amazing; c
a — also;
enam — this soul;
anyah — another;
shrinoti — hears of;
Shrutwa– having heard;
api — even;
enam — this soul;
veda — knows;
na — never;
ca — and;
eva — certainly;
kashchit — someone.
29. One sees This (the Self) as a wonder; another speaks of It as a wonder; another hears of It as a wonder; yet, having heard, none understands It at all.

Wonderful is self-realisation. The ultimate experience is non-dual and therefore inexpressible. The experience is not had by the mind. The self is conscious of itself.
It cannot be put into words, nor even formed as a concept within oneself, yet one who has had that experience tries to speak of it and can only say: “It is a wonder”!
The disciple listens to the master’s inexpressible wonderment at the transcendental experience. He is thrilled. Yet, it remains beyond the three acts of seeing, description and hearing. The self alone exists and it has to be experienced!
The disciple listens to the master’s inexpressible wonderment at the transcendental experience. He is thrilled. Yet, it remains beyond the three acts of seeing, description and hearing. The self alone exists and it has to be experienced!

Experience alone can explain “The Self”. it cannot be conveyed through the 5 senses it because it is beyond five senses. Human mind is a mere interpretor for the 5 senses and hence fails to conceptualize “the self”

२.२८ अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत
अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना

2.28 Avyaktaadeeni bhootaani vyaktamadhyaani bhaarata;
Avyakta nidhanaanyeva tatra kaa paridevanaa.

अव्यक्तादीनि Avyaktaadeeni — in the beginning unmanifested;
भूतानि bhootaani — all that are created;
व्यक्त vyakta — manifested;
मध्यानि madhyaani– in the middle;
भारत bhaarata — o descendant of Bharata;
अव्यक्त avyakta — nonmanifested;
निधनानि nidhanaani — when vanquished;
एव eva — it is all like that;
तत्र tatra — therefore;
का kaa — what;
परिदेवना paridevanaa — lamentation.

Meaning: Beings are unmanifested in their beginning, manifested in their middle state, O Arjuna,and unmanifested again in their end! What is there to grieve about?

Body is like the shadow that is not there in the night, diminishes till noon, and grows again as the sun goes down only to disappear at sunset! What is the point in greiving about it, fully knowing that it is bound to repeat EVERY SINGLE DAY!

This is not being fatalistic about life. Only death is what is not there in ur hands. Life is ! Your Life and the karma you do is very much in your hands. But brooding over what is not there in your hands you squander the wealth of life which is in ur hands.

The growth and disappearance of the shadow connot be controlled by you, but whether the shadow dances, runs or sits brooding is in your control.

The Bhagavatam reminds us of the mystery of life: ‘You do not work for unhappiness and yet find yourself in it. Even so, happiness will be yours unsought-for.’
Meditation upon this will rob us of all tensions, grief and delusion, and will snap all our attachments.

२.२८ जातस्य हि ध्रुवो म्रुत्युर्धुवं जन्म म्रुतस्य च
तस्मादपरिहार्ये अर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि

2.27 Jaatasya hi dhruvo mrityur dhruvam janma mritasya cha;
Tasmaad aparihaarye'rthe na twam shochitum arhasi.

जातस्य Jaatasya — of one who has taken his birth;
हि hi — certainly;
ध्रुवः dhruvah — a fact;
म्रुत्युः mrityuh — death;
ध्रुवम् dhruvam — it is also a fact;
जन्म janma — birth;
म्रुतस्य mritasya — of the dead;
च ca — also;
तस्माद् Tasmaad — therefore;
अपरिहार्ये aparihaarye — of that which is unavoidable;
अर्थे arthe — in the matter;
न na — do not;
त्वम् tvam — you;
शोचितुम् shochitum — to lament;
अर्हसि arhasi — deserve.

Meaning: For, certain is death for the born and certain is birth for the dead; therefore, over the inevitable thou shouldst not grieve.

Krishna says that even if you think the Self is born and it dies there is no cause for grief.
We should learn to accept the inevitable.
As a famous prayer goes: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."
Birth and death are inevitable; so why worry?
In the second verse, we see the cautious wording.
Death is certain for that which is born and birth is certain for the dead.
But, where is it said that the Self is born or it dies?

At best, ‘birth’ and ‘death’ are conventional expressions like the 'rising' and the ’setting’ of the sun. For not even the 'body' dies finally.
Birth and death are two apparent stages in a ceaseless change.
They have social implications, but cease to be true when investigated into.
We can accept the inevitable with wisdom and course only if we are firmly rooted in the truth or the permanent reality which is totally unaffected by these passing phenomena

2.26 अथ चैनं नित्यजातं नित्यं वा मन्यसे म्रुतम्
तथापि त्वं महाबाहो नैवं शोचितुमर्हसि

2.26 Atha chainam nityajaatam nityam vaa manyase mritam;
Tathaapi twam mahaabaaho naivam shochitum arhasi.

अथ atha — if, however;
च ca — also;
एनम् enam — this soul;
नित्य जातम् nityajaatam — always born;
नित्यम् nityam — forever;
वा vaa — either;
मन्यसे manyase — you so think;
म्रुतम् mritam — dead;
तथा + अपि tath'pi — still;
त्वम् tvam — you;
महाबाहो mahaabaaho — o mighty-armed one;
न na — never;
एनम् enam — about the soul;
शोचितुम् shochitum — to lament;
अर्हसि arhasi — deserve.

Meaning: But, even if thou thinkest of It as being constantly born and dying, even then, O mighty-armed, thou shouldst not grieve!

Till now Krishna has told that the soul is eternal, He is the soul and not the body and hence he need not grieve about death. Now for the sake of common man who cannot grasp that truth, Krishna is coming down to the level of common man and telling him that even IF he thinks that HE is actually dying and being born again, he need not grieve!

The argument "why" is presented in the next sloka. It is to be noted that this is not true, Krishna says "even if" or "incase" by saying "yadi" and presents the argument to give comfort to the common man on his own ground. Such is the all inclusive divine concern and love!