You Are Immortal!

2.19 Neither understands, he who takes the Self to be slayer nor he who thinks he is slain.

He who knows the truth understands that the Self does not slay, nor is It slain.

2.20 Self is neither born nor does It ever die. After having been, It never ceases not to be.

It is Unborn, Eternal, Changeless and Ancient. It is not killed when the body is killed.

2.21 O Partha, how can man slay or cause others to be slain,

When he knows It to be indestructible, eternal, unborn, and unchangeable?

2.22 Just as man casts off his worn out clothes and puts on new ones,

Self casts off worn out bodies and enters newer ones.

2.23 Weapons do not cleave the Self, fire does not burn It water does not moisten It

And wind does not dry It.

2.24 The Self cannot be broken nor burnt nor dissolved nor dried up.

It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable and ancient.

2.25 The Self is said to be unmanifest, unthinkable and unchangeable and able.

Knowing this to be such, you should not grieve.

Krishna directly addresses some of Arjuna's earlier doubts in these verses. Arjuna has claimed that destroying his relatives and his mentors will bring him untold grief, not only in this world but in future births as well. He claims that his future generations will suffer as a result of such evil deeds.

Krishna explains to Arjuna that all his fears are misplaced. There is no death in reality. What is seen as death is the destruction of the impermanent body. No one therefore can kill another person or be killed by another person. Both are illusions.

The spirit that occupies the body lives on forever. It occupies the body temporarily but by itself the Self is eternal, indestructible, and it has no births and deaths. It is the body, the sheath that covers it, that dies and is reborn. The spirit or the Self lives on forever.

What Krishna says here is radically different from what any other scripture has said. Krishna denies the concept of death here. He says there is no such thing as death. He is not saying: be good, and you will be taken care of when you die and if you are bad, you will suffer. He says there is no death, that's all.

Just imagine that as an infant, you are cast away on an island with no other living being. As you grow older will you have any idea of what it is to die? When indeed your body gives up what will happen? Nothing. You will not know anything, that's all. It is as Socrates said as he died, 'How does it matter if I am going into nothingness and I never come back? Birth, rebirth and all this will also not make a difference.'

Here Krishna is talking to someone who has witnessed death. So, He has to explain to him that death does not exist; that it is a mere passage from one shell into another; it is a transfer from one body into another.

It is the individual's attachment to the body that creates the illusion that the individual also perishes with the body.

Attachment to the body is the most intense of all attachments. We also get attached to material possessions as well as our relationships. The potential loss of these attachments leads to fears similar to that of losing one's body.

One who understands that all these attachments are temporary and are the cause of all our suffering, understands the Truth.

Understanding this truth removes all fears.

Cultures that do not accept the concept of the continuance of the spirit incubate this fear of loss of identity deeply into the individual psyche. People are bred on the belief that one's life ends at death. It is a permanent end. This belief leads to desperate behavior, as if there is no further time for the individual to seek happiness. Hell and heaven have been created based on this concept of having a single life and the permanence of death. Concepts of hell and heaven are used by all cultures to control people through fear and greed.

Once a person understands that death, like birth, is a merely a passage, and sees the continuity of being, the fear of losing one's identity disappears. One is relaxed. One is no longer terrorized and controlled by fears of sin and hell.

This is why religions that accept the continuance of life after death, as Hinduism and Buddhism do, breed a culture of tolerance amongst their followers. There is no rush to live and extract the maximum juice out of one's life in a single birth. These religions state that we all come from a common energy source and we go back to this source, and the cycle continues. Those who understand this spiritual truth in these religions preach the concept of acceptance, inclusion and compassion, and they have no desire to convert others to their beliefs.

It is easy to misinterpret these verses and say that if there is no one killing or being killed, then what stops us from mindlessly killing. That is not what Krishna intends.

One who truly understands that death is not the end of the path, but only a milestone in the journey, is not perturbed by death when it happens naturally or when it is caused for a purpose.

These truths are preached to Arjuna who already understands the basic truths of yama (the first step of the philosophy formulated by Patanjali, a great ancient Master). These are the principles of satya (truth), ahimsa (non-violence), aparigraha (living simply), asteya (non covetousness) and brahmacharya (living without fantasies). Arjuna fully understands the implications of killing, and that, as a kshatriya, it is his dharmic code of conduct that requires him to slay his enemies.

Here Krishna preaches to the person about a more subtle level of truth that he hasn't yet grasped. Arjuna shies away from killing, not because of his conviction of ahimsa, non-violence, but because he identifies with the people he has to destroy. His hesitation is from the ignorance of attachment and fantasy, not from the wisdom of non-violent compassion.

Krishna's message to Arjuna is as it would be to someone who has to uphold dharma at all costs, and in today's context that would apply to a soldier or a policeman. However, it would not be a blind acceptance of orders that would compel such people to take lives. It would not be an action driven by fear and greed. It would not be killing for gain and it would not be killing out of fear that one would be killed. It would be an ultimate action, born out of the knowledge that such destruction is needed for universal good and that such destruction would lead to creation.

Such is the destructive aspect of Nature. Nature destroys to recreate. Shiva is the Rejuvenator not the destroyer as we normally refer to him. This is what Krishna preaches to Arjuna within this context.

You may ask, 'If nothing is destroyed and nothing can be destroyed, is there no sin in killing at all? All the people whom we call villains like Hitler, Bin Laden and others, do they commit no sin by killing? They are only killing bodies that will perish anyway. So Krishna is indifferent to mass violence, isn't He?

No, He is not. For one thing, Krishna speaks as an enlightened Master from an existentialist perspective and says that, even when the body perishes, the spirit lives on, and therefore, there is no death.

Violence and killing are not merely physical acts. They are psychological compulsions acted out. A person with Hitler's mindset but without Hilter's power, would have behaved similarly but on a smaller scale. The generals who ordered the bombing of Hiroshima were far more violent than the poor pilot who was ordered to press the button that dropped the bomb. The ruler of a country who orders warfare against others is the violent one, even if he hides behind his throne.

Violence of the mind is fatal; violence of the body is not. Violence of the mind carries on as the vasana or desires; the essence of the spirit, that incarnates from birth to birth. That is the horror that does not end with the act of killing. The spirit is violated, degraded, and degenerated by this attitude of violence.

A violent man is always a coward. He does not have the courage to face the truth. He does not have the courage to treat others as he expects to be treated.

He isolates himself in a cocoon of lies, using the excuse of defending himself, and commits offensive violence against others.

In modern times, violence has increased because it is so much easier to kill than to work through problems and find solutions.

Most often we do not even have to face the person we want to kill. We can fire a pistol or a rifle; we can throw bombs; we can detonate bombs, and if one is a ruler with power, he or she can press a button or convince a nation that unleashing havoc is the safe and best option available. We do not have to face the consequences of what we are doing and can pretend we know nothing about it. We can even pretend that we are committing these acts in the name of God and righteousness.

When we become aware, when we become conscious that the person next to us is actually an expression of the energy of God, how can we possibly respond with violence? It has nothing to do with whether someone is family, part of our culture, part of our religion or part of our nation. It does not matter if the other person shares our history, habits or beliefs. The other person may oppose all that we believe in. Yet he is as much a part of this universe as we are.

That is why Krishna says, 'How can that man slay or cause others to be slain, who knows Him to be indestructible, eternal, unborn, unchangeable?'

How can we? How can violence develop in us when we recognize ourselves to be God, which automatically enables us to be aware that every other living being, animate and inanimate too is God's image.

If this message of Krishna is truly understood, there can be no violence in this world, no killing at all. You will not even kill an insect. You will not kill even in selfdefense because once you are in awareness, your awareness is transmitted to the other being and that being will not even attack you.

Once in Omkareshwar, a forest region, I ran into this huge bear when I got up from meditation. It was very close to me. I felt no fear. The bear looked at me and walked away. I have come across deadly cobras many times very close by. They just look at me and go away. When I feel no fear, and therefore no enmity to them, they understand and accept. All this talk about killing others in self-defense is a lie.

All the nations in this world claim they have standing armies because they need to defend themselves. The right to defend is enshrined in all self-respecting constitutions. So, if everybody is only defending, who then is offending? Does anyone think about that?

Even a domesticated dog reacts in anger only when it detects our fear. Our violence arises out of our own fear. Even that dog knows that because it is intelligent, naturally intelligent, unlike us humans. Only humans have the choice to deny nature and be idiotic.

Understand what Krishna says and you will never have fear, either for yourself or for others. You are imperishable; everyone around you is imperishable. Shed your fear and violence. Let love for others fill your being.

Krishna continues:

Just as man casts off his worn out clothes and puts on new ones, Self casts off worn out bodies and enters newer ones. Weapons do not cleave the Self, fire does not burn It, water does not moisten It, and wind does not dry It. The Self cannot be broken nor burnt nor dissolved nor dried up. It is eternal, allpervading, stable, immovable and ancient.

These verses are amongst the most quoted verses of Bhagavad Gita. Here, in very few words, Krishna expounds upon the entire truth of life and death, mind, body and spirit. He clarifies why we should accept death gladly, as a matter of fact and course, instead of grieving over it.

He says this so simply that even an innocent child can understand this truth.

One does not have to be learned in scriptures. In fact, it is a great liability to read the Gita when one is well versed in scriptures. We then miss the truth, the simplicity, the innocence of what Krishna says.

What makes Gita stand apart from all other scriptures, and yet be considered one of the most sacred scriptures amongst the Vedas and Upanishads, is this simple authority and clarity with which this jagat guru, Master of the Universe, this poornavataara, the complete incarnation, speaks.

So simply He says: 'Just as you cast off your shirt when it is dirty and put on a new one, so does the spirit cast off this body and enter into a new one.'

Do we grieve over a dirty shirt that we have cast away when we know we will have a new one? Do we say, 'Oh, I was so attached to this shirt. I cannot let it go. Let me keep wearing it. I shall be heart broken if I have to take off this shirt?'

When we see a new shirt, a new garment, the feeling is automatic. We let go the old and take on the new. Why then this hesitation, this fear, when the spirit says, 'Let me get out of this body; it is so old and decrepit; it is diseased and foul. Let me go find a newer, better body.'

If only we understand that a body needs to be changed when it grows old, in just the same way as the shirt does when it is dirty, there would be no grief, no attachment.

This simple truth is so profound that it takes the greatest Master of all to say it.

'Don't worry', He says, 'what you will find is a newer, better and more attractive model. Let go of your fears; let go of your attachment. Look forward to what is to follow with joy and a sense of anticipation and celebration. Celebrate death. Do not mourn over it.'

Krishna goes on to explain further what that unchanging continuity is, even as the spirit moves from one body to another. What is the nature of that spirit? How is it that it is everlasting?

Krishna says, 'Please understand, Arjuna, the Soul is not destroyed as you think. It cannot be destroyed at all. No weapon can destroy It. No astra, no brahmastra, no nuclear weapon can destroy the energy within the body. Fire cannot burn It, water cannot wet It, and air cannot dry It. It is not made of the elements and cannot be destroyed by the elements. Neither can the absence of the elements destroy It. It is beyond the five elements. It is the energy behind the elements. It is the energy that creates the elements. How can It then die?'

'It cannot be disintegrated in any manner, by breaking, dissolving, burning or drying, as one could do to any other substance made of the five elements of nature. It is eternal. It transcends all the elemental powers. It pervades the Universe. It has been there always. It never had to be created. Therefore, It never can be destroyed.'

An understanding of the truth that Krishna unveils here is the key to immortality. It is the key to liberation from the bondage of life and death. It is the doorway to enlightenment.

'Do not fear death,' Krishna says, 'neither yours nor that of others. It is just a passage. It is the disappearance of this material body. However, you are beyond this material body. Even if the body perishes, you live on, so you do not have to worry or fear.'

What survives death is the sacred spirit in you that can never be destroyed. This spirit is not matter; it is pure energy. How can you destroy energy? Science tells that energy can only appear in another form; it cannot be destroyed. As I have said, the energy of the spirit reappears in another form as matter or it stays as energy.

It is the energy behind the elements; it is that source which creates the elements. It is the energy that is the universe that has always been and will be, never created, never destroyed. It is unchanging, neutral, eternal and all pervading. The experience of every enlightened being verifies the truth that Krishna is uttering.

'When you are that spirit, that energy,' asks Krishna, 'what is there to grieve about? When you are the Divine yourself, what can you fear? What can you want? What more can you ask for?'

The same answer, the same explanation holds good for every one of us. We are Divine. We are the universe. We cannot be destroyed. We live on despite what we see to be the destruction of our body and identity. Once we understand this truth, nothing can disturb us. We can be in bliss.

In the Mundakopanishad there is a story of two birds.

Two birds were sitting on a large fruit-bearing tree that had many branches. It had many fruits on each of its branches. One of the birds was a golden-hued bird with a lovely plumage. It had a serene calmness about it and was

perched silently upon one of the upper branches, which had fewer fruits. It spent most of its time unmoving, showing no interest in the fruits around it. The second bird was smaller and livelier. This bird was always restless and kept jumping from one branch to another branch searching for fruits to eat.

The second bird felt very happy when it tasted sweet fruits and chirped happily. When it came across a bitter or sour fruit that was often, it made irritated noises and looked unhappy. More the sour and bitter fruits that it tasted, more sorrowful this bird became. It said to itself that there is no joy in these fruits and there is no joy at all in living like this.

It then looked up and saw the blissful golden bird perched above it, sitting in silence, calm and relaxed. The golden bird seemed to light up the entire tree. The smaller bird flew up to look at the golden bird more closely. On the way up it saw some juicy fruits and it stopped to peck at them. The fruits were tasty and it settled down to eat more. Then some fruits turned bitter and some sour, and it grew disappointed. It looked up and saw the golden bird again, calm, happy, and relaxed. It moved up again.

It flitted up and down, right and left. Each time it saw the golden bird it would fly up closer. It would then stop to taste a fruit that first tasted sweet, only to move on to bitter and sour fruits as it stayed on to eat more.

Finally, it reached the treetop where the golden bird was perched. It looked at it closely and was startled to find that the golden bird was none other than its own self! It went closer and closer, becoming happier and more relaxed. The smaller bird felt a deep connection with the golden-hued bird. It was love, not falling in love, but rising in love. Soon it lost its own identity and merged with the golden bird.

When we realize that we are one with the golden bird, our inner divinity, there is no longer any fear of death. There is no longer any question about who we are. We know.

'Weapons cannot cleave It, fire cannot burn It.' If only the so-called leaders of this world understood what Krishna is saying! Then, there would then be no need for United Nations, Peace Days, Friendship Days and so on. Everyday would be a Peace Day.

What are we trying to do by killing people, by eliminating the physical evidence of their existence? We are trying to eliminate the evidence of people who do not believe us, who dare to question us, and who dare to laugh at us. We would only like to be surrounded by people who fear us, and out of that fear, pretend to respect us, like us, love us. Hitler killed Jews, not because they offended him in any way but because he was afraid of them. Stalin and such other dictators killed to protect themselves, out of fear. Externally they projected an image of great courage, but inside they were cowards. These dictators would have people eat their food first in case it was poisoned. They would have their 'twins' following them to mislead people. They all live their lives out of utter fear.

At the heart of all torture and killing is fear and greed. When we sincerely contemplate these teachings, and this verse of Gita in particular, such concerns dissolve and we live peacefully with ourselves and others.

If you are courageous, you will face up to anyone and state your case. In the event you cannot convince the other person, you will accept the situation and walk away. In life, in this world, there is enough room for different opinions. It is when we get opinionated, fixed in obsessive beliefs, become intolerant to others who share different values and belief systems that we become afraid. We become afraid that we too may lose our belief, that we may lose our identity. That insecurity and fear of loss of identity is greater than the fear of death. It is in fact nothing but the fear of death, since we see death as the ultimate elimination of our identity. So we respond violently. To avoid being killed, we kill. We kill out of fear.

Once we understand what Krishna says, that death is like changing a worn out garment, our fears will disappear. If we are truly wise, this false identity itself will disappear. Why do we need that garment at all? We will feel freer, fully liberated when we do not have that garment. Then there is no need even to worry about that change.

In fact, of the deeper level understanding of this truth is that there is really no need to change the garment. It is only when we have the garment that one has to worry about whether the garment is dirty or torn and how to replace it. If there is no garment at all, there are no more concerns. Going beyond the garment is going beyond the body mind. It is going beyond the cycle of life and death, the cycle of samsara. It is going to the ultimate liberation in this life itself. It is the ultimate relaxation.

Sankara says hauntingly in Bhaja Govindam: Again and again one is born and one dies; one keeps going back into the mother's womb. Oh Lord, the rower of the boat that would help me cross this ocean of life and death, please help me across.