🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 2.25

Chapter 2 · सांख्ययोग · Sāṅkhya-Yoga · "The Yoga of Knowledge" · Verse 25 of 72

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अव्यक्तोऽयमचिन्त्योऽयमविकार्योऽयमुच्यते।

तस्मादेवं विदित्वैनं नानुशोचितुमर्हसि।।2.25।।
Bhagavad-Gītā 2.25 · the yathārtha śloka (Devanāgarī Sanskrit · canonical)

🪷 English Translations

Five authentic English voices · each from a distinct sampradāya · together revealing the verse's full śabda-tattva.

Shri Purohit Swami · Poetic English · 1935 · public domain · Cosmo Press tradition
2.25 It is named the Unmanifest, the Unthinkable, the immutable. Wherefore, knowing the Spirit as such, thou hast no cause to grieve.
Swami Sivananda · Direct prose · Divine Life Society
2.25 This (Self) is said to be unmanifested, unthinkable and unchangeable. Therefore, knowing This to be such, thou shouldst not grieve.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Word-key glosses · Advaita Ashrama · Śaṅkara-school
2.25 Moreover, ucyate, it is said that; ayam, This, the Self; is avyaktah, unmanifest, since, being beyond the ken of all the organs, It cannot be objectified. For this very reason, ayam, This; is acintyah, inconceivable. For anything that comes within the purview of the organs becomes the object of thought. But this Self is inconceivable becuase It is not an object of the organs. Hence, indeed, It is avikaryah, unchangeable. This Self does not change as milk does when mixed with curd, a curdling medium, etc. And It is chnageless owing to partlessness, for it is not seen that any non-composite thing is changeful. Not being subject to transformation, It is said to be changeless. Tasmat, therefore; vidivata, having known; enam, this one, the Self; evam, thus, as described; na arhasi, you ought not; anusocitum, to grieve, thinking, 'I am the slayer of these; these are killed by me.'
Swami Ādidevānanda · Śrī-Vaiṣṇava perspective · Rāmānuja school
2.25 The self is not made manifest by those Pramanas (means of knowledge) by which objects susceptible of being cleft etc., are made manifest; hence It is unmanifest, being different in kind from objects susceptible to cleaving etc., It is inconceivable, being different in kind from all objects. As It does not possess the essential nature of any of them. It cannot even be conceived. Therefore, It is unchanging, incapable of modifications. So knowing this self to be possessed of the above mentioned alities, it does not become you to feel grief for Its sake.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Academic precision · modern scholarly
2.25. This is declared to be non-evident, imponderable, and unchangeable. Therefore understanding This as such you should not lament.

🪷 English Commentaries · The Ācārya Voices

The classical commentary tradition rendered in English · each ācārya speaks from their own sampradāya · the seer chooses the depth of darśana.

Swami Sivananda · Verse-by-verse word-keys with Sanskrit anchors
2.25 अव्यक्तः unmanifested? अयम् this (Self)? अचिन्त्यः unthinkable? अयम् this? अविकार्यः unchangeable? अयम् this? उच्यते is said? तस्मात् therefore? एवम् thus? विदित्वा having known? एनम् this? न not? अनुशोचितुम् to grieve? अर्हसि (thou) oughtest.Commentary The Self is not an object of perception. It can hardly be seen by the physical eyes. Therefore? the Self is unmanifested. That which is seen by the eyes becomes an object of thought. As the Self cannot be perceived by the eyes? It is unthinkable. Milk when mixed with buttermilk changes its form. The Self cannot change Its form like milk. Hence? It is changeless and immutable. Therefore? thus understanding the Self? thou shouldst not mourn. Thou shouldst not think also that thou art their slayer and that they are killed by thee.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Advaita-school commentary (Śaṅkara tradition)
2.25 Moreover, ucyate, it is said that; ayam, This, the Self; is avyaktah, unmanifest, since, being beyond the ken of all the organs, It cannot be objectified. For this very reason, ayam, This; is acintyah, inconceivable. For anything that comes within the purview of the organs becomes the object of thought. But this Self is inconceivable becuase It is not an object of the organs. Hence, indeed, It is avikaryah, unchangeable. This Self does not change as milk does when mixed with curd, a curdling medium, etc. And It is chnageless owing to partlessness, for it is not seen that any non-composite thing is changeful. Not being subject to transformation, It is said to be changeless. Tasmat, therefore; vidivata, having known; enam, this one, the Self; evam, thus, as described; na arhasi, you ought not; anusocitum, to grieve, thinking, 'I am the slayer of these; these are killed by me.'
Swami Ādidevānanda · Rāmānuja Śrī-Vaiṣṇava commentary
2.25 The self is not made manifest by those Pramanas (means of knowledge) by which objects susceptible of being cleft etc., are made manifest; hence It is unmanifest, being different in kind from objects susceptible to cleaving etc., It is inconceivable, being different in kind from all objects. As It does not possess the essential nature of any of them. It cannot even be conceived. Therefore, It is unchanging, incapable of modifications. So knowing this self to be possessed of the above mentioned alities, it does not become you to feel grief for Its sake.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Modern academic scholarship
2.23-25 Nainam etc. upto arhasi. The weapons etc., that cause destruction, haldly do anything to This. For, being, by nature, exclusively pure Consciousness, remaining without support, having no component parts and being independent, this cannot be destroyed through the process of either assumption of an altogether different nature, or the destruction of the support, or the mutual separation of the component parts, or the rise of an opponent, and so on. Nor the act to going to another body is a new thing for This. For, even when This is [apparently] with a single body, This travels always to different body; for the body does not remain the same even for a moment. By understanding this Self to be as such, you should not lament This.
Swami Chinmayānanda · Chinmaya Mission · modern Vedantic teaching
।।2.25।। आत्मा के स्वरूप को भगवान् यहाँ और अधिक स्पष्ट करते हैं। यहाँ प्रयुक्त शब्दों के द्वारा सत्य का निर्देश युक्तिपूर्वक किया गया है।अव्यक्त पंचमहाभूतों में जो सबसे अधिक स्थूल है जैसे पृथ्वी उसका ज्ञान पांचों ज्ञानेन्द्रियों के द्वारा होता है। परन्तु जैसेजैसे सूक्ष्मतर तत्त्व तक हम पहुँचते हैं वैसे यह ज्ञात होता है कि उसका ज्ञान पांचों प्रकार से नहीं होता। जल में गंध नहीं है और अग्नि में रस नहीं है तो वायु में रूप भी नहीं है। इस प्रकार आकाश सूक्ष्मतम होने से दृष्टिगोचर नहीं होता। स्वभावत जो आकाश का भी कारण है उसका ज्ञान किसी भी इन्द्रिय के द्वारा नहीं हो सकता। अत हमें स्वीकार करना पड़ेगा कि वह अव्यक्त है।इन्द्रियगोचर वस्तु व्यक्त कही जाती है। अत जो इन्द्रियों से परे है वह अव्यक्त है। यद्यपि मैं किसी वृक्ष के बीज में वृक्ष को देखसुन नहीं सकता हूँ और न उसका स्वाद स्पर्श या गंध ज्ञात कर सकता हूँ तथापि मैं जानता हूँ कि यही बीज वृक्ष का कारण है। इस स्थिति में कहा जायेगा कि बीज में वृक्ष अव्यक्त अवस्था में है। इस प्रकार आत्मा को अव्यक्त कहने का तात्पर्य यह है कि वह इन्द्रियों के द्वारा जानने योग्य विषय नहीं है। उपनिषदों में विस्तारपूर्वक बताया गया है कि आत्मा सबकी द्रष्टा होने से दृश्य विषय नहीं बन सकती।अचिन्त्य आत्मा इन्द्रियों का विषय नहीं है उसी प्रकार यहाँ वह अचिन्त्य है कहकर यह दर्शाते हैं कि मन और बुद्धि के द्वारा हम आत्मा का मनन और चिन्तन नहीं कर सकते जैसे अन्य विषयों का विचार सम्भव है। इसका कारण यह है कि मन और बुद्धि दोनों स्वयं जड़ हैं। परन्तु इस चैतन्य आत्मा के प्रकाश से चेतन होकर वे अन्य विषयों को ग्रहण करते हैं। अब अपने ही मूलस्वरूप द्रष्टा को वे किस प्रकार विषय रूप में जान सकेंगे दूरदर्शीय यन्त्र से देखने वाला व्यक्ति स्वयं को नहीं देख सकता क्योंकि एक ही व्यक्ति स्वयं द्रष्टा और दृश्य दोनों नहीं हो सकता। यह अचिन्त्य शब्द का तात्पर्य है। अत अव्यक्त और अचिन्त्य शब्द से आत्मा को अभाव रूप नहीं समझ लेना चाहिए।अविकारी अवयवों से युक्त साकार पदार्थ परिच्छिन्न और विकारी होता है। निरवयव आत्मा में किसी प्रकार का विकार संभव नहीं है।इस प्रकार श्रीकृष्ण अर्जुन को उपदेश करते हैं कि आत्मा को उसके शुद्ध रूप से पहचान कर शोक करना त्याग देना चाहिए। ज्ञानी पुरुष अपने को न मारने वाला समझता है और न ही मरने वाला मानता है।भौतिकवादी विचारकों के मत को स्वीकार करके यह मान भी लें कि आत्मा नित्य नहीं है तब भी भगवान् कहते हैं

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सर्वम् कृष्णार्पणम् — this verse is one maṇi (jewel) on Krishna's thread (BG 7.7)