य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं यश्चैनं मन्यते हतम् ।
उभौ तौ न विजानीतो नायं हन्ति न हन्यते ॥ १९ ॥
ya enaṃ vetti hantāraṃ yaścainaṃ manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṃ hanti na hanyate
ya enaṃ vetti hantāraṃ yaścainaṃ manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṃ hanti na hanyate
Word by word
Translation
One who thinks this self a slayer, and one who thinks it slain, both fail to understand: it neither slays nor is slain.
जो इस आत्मा को मारने वाला समझता है और जो इसे मरा हुआ मानता है, वे दोनों ही नहीं जानते। यह न मारता है, न मारा जाता है।
Explanation
Killing and dying happen at the level of the body, not at the level of the Self. This idea appears in almost the same words in the Katha Upanishad as well, which shows that the Gita carries forward the wisdom of the Upanishads.
How this verse connects
हन्ता चेन्मन्यते हन्तुं हतश्चेन्मन्यते हतम् ।उभौ तौ न विजानीतो नायं हन्ति न हन्यते ॥Sources
- Original text: Bhagavad Gita (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva)
- English and Hindi translation, explanation: SanatanBodh editorial team
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