Introduction: Are You the Body or the Atma?
Who am I?
Am I this physical body? Am I my thoughts, emotions and experiences? Or is there something eternal within me that remains unchanged throughout life?
These questions form the foundation of one of the most profound teachings of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita.
In Session 7 of our Bhagavad Gita series at Sambhasha | Divine Dialogues, we continue our journey through Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga.
We begin by revising Shlokas 9–14 and then move forward with Shlokas 15–21, where Bhagwan Shri Krishna explains the fundamental distinction between the temporary physical body and the eternal Atma.
Through simple everyday examples, including a driver and car, electricity and electrical instruments, and a mobile phone and its data, we explore why the body should not be confused with our true identity.
These teachings help us understand life, death, attachment and the eternal nature of the Self.
Revision of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Shlokas 9–14
Before studying the new shlokas, we revise the important teachings introduced in the previous session.
Shlokas 2.9–2.10: Arjuna’s Sorrow and Shri Krishna’s Response
Arjuna remains overwhelmed by sorrow and confusion.
He declares that he will not fight and becomes silent.
Bhagwan Shri Krishna then begins speaking to Arjuna, who is struggling to understand his responsibilities.
This marks the beginning of the profound spiritual teachings of Sankhya Yoga.
Shloka 2.11: Why Do the Wise Not Grieve?
Shri Krishna explains that Arjuna is grieving for those who should not be grieved for while speaking words that appear wise.
He states that the wise do not grieve for the living or the dead.
This teaching introduces a deeper understanding of life and death.
Shri Krishna begins directing Arjuna’s attention away from identification with the physical body and towards the eternal Atma.
Shloka 2.12: The Eternal Nature of Existence
Shri Krishna explains that there was never a time when He, Arjuna or the assembled kings did not exist.
Nor will they cease to exist in the future.
This verse emphasizes the continuity of existence beyond the temporary physical body.
The body is subject to change, but the Atma is eternal.
Shloka 2.13: Childhood, Youth and Old Age
Shri Krishna explains that the embodied Self experiences childhood, youth and old age within the same body.
Similarly, the embodied Self passes into another body.
This example helps us understand that the physical body changes continuously.
Our childhood body is different from our present body, yet we continue to recognize ourselves as the same individual.
The teaching encourages us to distinguish between the changing body and the enduring Self.
Shloka 2.14: Happiness and Sorrow Are Temporary
Shri Krishna explains that contact between the senses and their objects produces experiences such as heat and cold, pleasure and pain.
These experiences arise and disappear.
They are temporary.
Shri Krishna therefore advises Arjuna to endure them with steadiness.
This introduces an important principle of spiritual life: our judgment should not be completely controlled by temporary experiences of happiness and sorrow.
Bhagavad Gita 2.15: Developing Steadiness in Happiness and Sorrow
In Shloka 2.15, Shri Krishna explains the importance of remaining steady during pleasure and pain.
A wise person who is not disturbed by these changing experiences becomes fit for immortality.
This teaching builds directly upon Shloka 2.14.
Life constantly presents changing circumstances.
Sometimes we experience success, comfort and happiness.
At other times, we encounter disappointment, discomfort and sorrow.
If our mental state depends entirely upon these changing experiences, we may find it difficult to remain balanced.
Shri Krishna encourages us to develop steadiness through spiritual understanding.
This does not mean that we will never experience emotions.
Rather, it means learning not to allow temporary experiences to overpower our wisdom and responsibilities.
Bhagavad Gita 2.16: Understanding Sat and Asat
Shloka 2.16 introduces a profound distinction between Sat and Asat.
Sat refers to what is truly real and enduring.
Asat refers to what lacks enduring reality.
Shri Krishna explains that the unreal has no lasting existence, while the real does not cease to exist.
The wise understand the nature of both.
This teaching encourages us to distinguish between temporary appearances and eternal reality.
Our physical body changes throughout life.
Our thoughts, emotions and circumstances also change.
Yet the Bhagavad Gita directs our attention towards the eternal nature of the Atma.
Understanding the difference between the changing and the unchanging becomes essential for spiritual knowledge.
Bhagavad Gita 2.17: The Atma Is Indestructible
In Shloka 2.17, Shri Krishna explains that the reality pervading the body is indestructible.
No one can destroy this imperishable principle.
This verse deepens the understanding introduced in the previous shlokas.
The physical body is temporary.
It undergoes continuous change and eventually comes to an end.
However, the Atma is not subject to destruction in the same way.
Shri Krishna encourages Arjuna to recognize that the true Self is fundamentally different from the physical body.
This distinction becomes one of the central teachings of Sankhya Yoga.
Bhagavad Gita 2.18: The Body Is Temporary, but the Atma Is Eternal
Shri Krishna explains that the physical bodies of the eternal, indestructible and immeasurable embodied Self are subject to an end.
He therefore instructs Arjuna to perform his duty.
This verse brings together two important teachings.
The first is the distinction between the temporary body and the eternal Atma.
The second is the importance of understanding this distinction while performing one’s responsibilities.
Spiritual knowledge is not presented merely as an intellectual concept.
It is intended to transform our understanding of life and guide our actions.
Arjuna must learn to examine his situation through wisdom rather than emotional attachment alone.
Bhagavad Gita 2.19: Does the Atma Kill or Get Killed?
In Shloka 2.19, Shri Krishna explains that those who regard the Atma as the killer or as being killed do not understand its true nature.
The Atma neither kills nor is killed.
This is a profound metaphysical teaching concerning the eternal Self.
It distinguishes the Atma from the actions and destruction associated with physical bodies.
The verse should be understood within the larger teaching of the Bhagavad Gita concerning Dharma and right action.
It is not a general permission to harm others or disregard moral responsibilities.
Shri Krishna is explaining the eternal nature of the Self while guiding Arjuna towards a deeper understanding of his duty.
Bhagavad Gita 2.20: Why Does the Atma Never Die?
Shloka 2.20 is among the most important verses concerning the nature of the Atma.
Shri Krishna explains that the Atma is never born and never dies.
It does not come into existence and then cease to exist.
It is unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient.
It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.
This teaching challenges our ordinary understanding of identity.
We commonly identify ourselves with our age, appearance and physical existence.
However, these characteristics belong to the changing body.
The Atma is described as eternal and beyond the cycle of physical birth and death.
Understanding this distinction is fundamental to the spiritual philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita.
Bhagavad Gita 2.21: Knowledge of the Eternal Atma
In Shloka 2.21, Shri Krishna asks how a person who knows the Atma to be indestructible, eternal, unborn and unchanging could regard the Self as killing or causing someone to be killed.
This verse continues the teaching of Shlokas 2.19–2.20.
Shri Krishna emphasizes that true knowledge of the Atma transforms our understanding of existence.
The Self is not subject to the physical processes of birth and death.
This knowledge forms an important foundation for understanding Dharma, Karma and spiritual liberation.
Why Is the Body Not Our True Identity?
One of the most important themes of this session is the difference between the body and the Atma.
In everyday language, we naturally distinguish ourselves from the things we possess.
We say:
“My house.”
“My car.”
“My phone.”
“My hand.”
“My body.”
The word “my” indicates a relationship between the person speaking and the thing being described.
This simple observation invites an important question.
If I refer to something as “mine,” who is the “I” that possesses it?
Of course, grammar alone does not prove the existence of the Atma.
However, this example provides a useful starting point for spiritual inquiry.
Vedanta encourages us to examine whether our true identity is limited to the physical body and its changing experiences.
The Driver and Car Analogy: Understanding Atma and Sharir
Consider a person driving a car.
The driver uses the car to travel from one place to another.
The car is an instrument through which the driver performs an activity.
However, the driver and the car are not the same.
If the car becomes damaged, the driver does not automatically become identical to the damaged vehicle.
Similarly, the Bhagavad Gita encourages us to distinguish between the physical body and the Atma.
The Sharir is the body through which embodied experience takes place.
The Atma is the eternal Self.
This analogy helps us understand the distinction between the instrument and the one associated with its use.
However, it is only an illustration. The precise relationship between the Atma, body and mind is a deeper philosophical subject and should not be reduced entirely to the relationship between a driver and a vehicle.
Electricity and Electrical Instruments: Understanding the Difference
Another practical example discussed in this session involves electricity and electrical instruments.
Consider a fan, a bulb and a television.
Each instrument performs a different function.
A fan produces airflow.
A bulb produces light.
A television displays images and sound.
Yet all these instruments operate using electrical energy.
The instruments are different, but electricity should not be confused with any single instrument.
If a bulb stops functioning, it does not mean that electricity itself has been destroyed.
This analogy helps us reflect upon the distinction between the physical instrument and the principle associated with its functioning.
In a similar way, Vedanta encourages us to distinguish the body from the Atma.
The analogy does not mean that the Atma is literally physical electricity. It is a teaching example intended to make the distinction easier to understand.
The Mobile Phone and Data Analogy
Consider a mobile phone.
The phone is a physical device.
It contains hardware, a screen, a battery and other components.
However, the information associated with the phone is not identical to the physical device itself.
For example, contacts, photographs and other information may be backed up and accessed through another device.
If the original phone stops working, some of the information may still remain available.
This example helps illustrate the difference between a physical instrument and something associated with it that is not necessarily confined to that particular instrument.
Similarly, the Bhagavad Gita invites us to examine the distinction between the physical body and the eternal Self.
The analogy is illustrative rather than literal. Digital data and the Atma are not the same kind of reality.
Its purpose is to encourage us to question the assumption that our identity is limited to the physical body.
Your House Is Not You, and Your Car Is Not You
We naturally understand that the things we own are different from who we are.
A person may live in a house for many years.
The house may become closely associated with memories, emotions and personal experiences.
Yet the house itself is not the person.
Similarly, a car may be used daily and become an important part of someone’s routine.
But the car is not the individual who uses it.
These examples help us examine our identification with the physical body.
We are deeply connected with our bodies.
We care for them, experience the world through them and perform our responsibilities through them.
However, the Bhagavad Gita teaches that our true identity is not limited to the temporary physical body.
The Atma is eternal, while the body is subject to change.
How Does Knowledge of the Atma Change Our Understanding of Death?
Death is one of the greatest sources of fear and sorrow in human life.
Much of this fear arises from our identification with the physical body.
We observe that bodies grow old, become ill and eventually die.
The Bhagavad Gita explains that the Atma is not destroyed with the physical body.
Shri Krishna’s teachings therefore introduce a different understanding of existence.
The physical body is temporary, but the true Self is eternal.
This knowledge does not mean that the sorrow of losing someone should be dismissed or that human relationships are unimportant.
Rather, it offers a spiritual perspective on the distinction between bodily death and the eternal nature of the Atma.
This understanding becomes especially important for Arjuna, whose sorrow arises from the prospect of losing his relatives and teachers.
Why Does Understanding the Atma Matter in Everyday Life?
The distinction between Atma and Sharir is not merely a philosophical subject.
It encourages us to examine how we understand ourselves and our experiences.
We often define our identity through appearance, possessions, social roles, achievements and relationships.
However, these aspects of life are constantly changing.
Our physical body changes with age.
Our circumstances change.
Our thoughts and emotions change.
The Bhagavad Gita encourages us to look beyond these temporary conditions.
By reflecting on the eternal nature of the Atma, we can begin developing a deeper understanding of identity and existence.
This knowledge also provides a foundation for the teachings of detachment, Dharma and Karma Yoga that follow in the Bhagavad Gita.
What Do We Learn in Session 7?
In this session, we first revise Shlokas 9–14 of Chapter 2, including Arjuna’s emotional confusion and Shri Krishna’s opening teachings on the Atma.
We then study Shlokas 15–21, where Shri Krishna explains the distinction between the temporary body and the eternal Self.
The session focuses on the indestructible and unborn nature of the Atma.
It also uses practical examples to make these teachings easier to understand.
The driver and car analogy helps illustrate the difference between the body and the Self.
The electricity example distinguishes an instrument from the principle associated with its functioning.
The mobile phone and data analogy encourages reflection on identity beyond a physical device.
Together, these examples help us explore one of the most fundamental questions of spiritual life:
Who am I?
Continue Your Bhagavad Gita Journey with Sambhasha
At Sambhasha | Divine Dialogues, our Srimad Bhagavad Gita series explores the teachings of Bhagwan Shri Krishna through simple explanations, practical examples and meaningful spiritual discussions.
In Session 7, we revise Chapter 2, Shlokas 9–14, and study Shlokas 15–21.
We explore the eternal nature of the Atma, the temporary nature of the physical body and the importance of distinguishing our true identity from the instruments through which we experience the world.
As we continue through Sankhya Yoga, we will study Shri Krishna’s teachings concerning life, death, Dharma, Karma and spiritual wisdom in greater depth.
Conclusion: Discovering the Eternal Self Beyond the Physical Body
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Shlokas 15–21, reveals profound teachings concerning the eternal nature of the Atma.
Shri Krishna explains that the true Self is unborn, indestructible and not subject to physical death.
The body changes and eventually comes to an end, but the Atma is eternal.
Through practical examples such as a driver and car, electricity and electrical instruments, and a mobile phone and its data, we begin questioning our ordinary identification with the physical body.
The central teaching is simple but profound.
We must learn to distinguish between the temporary body and the eternal Self.
This understanding forms an essential foundation for spiritual knowledge, detachment and the deeper teachings of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita.
Jai Shri Krishna!
Sambhasha | Divine Dialogues by Prateek Gupta
Watch Session 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7KZ3gCzWU4
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