Verse 19
ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ
yaś cainaṁ manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijānīto
nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate
Word-by-Word Meaning:
- yaḥ — one who
- enam — this (Self/soul)
- vetti — knows
- hantāram — as the slayer
- yaḥ ca — and one who
- enam — this (Self/soul)
- manyate — thinks
- hatam — slain
- ubhau tau — both of them
- na vijānītaḥ — do not know truly / are in ignorance
- na ayam — this (Self) does not
- hanti — slay
- na hanyate — nor is slain
He who thinks the Self is a slayer and he who thinks it is slain — both are ignorant. The Self neither kills nor is killed.
Expanded Meaning:
Lord Krishna continues to dispel Arjuna’s illusion regarding the soul and death. Here, he makes it absolutely clear: the Self (ātman) is beyond all acts of violence or harm. It is neither an agent of killing nor a victim of death.
This verse is a decisive rejection of the idea that the soul can be harmed through physical means. Krishna addresses both the killer’s guilt and the victim’s suffering — both are based on false identification with the body.
Contextual Analysis:
- Misidentification
- The person who believes he kills (hantā) or that someone is killed (hatam) is misinformed.
- Why? Because the soul is not the doer (na kartā) and not the enjoyer or sufferer of actions in the bodily sense.
- Real Nature of the Self
- The ātman is unborn, eternal, unchanging, and imperishable.
- It is never involved in action — especially violent ones like killing.
- Karma and the Body
- Action (karma) pertains to the body-mind complex, not to the Self.
- The doership belongs to prakriti (nature), not to puruṣa (consciousness).
Philosophical Insight:
- This verse removes all grounds for grief, fear, or guilt related to death.
- Krishna is not promoting violence — rather, he’s removing false identification with the body, which causes the illusion of harm.
- Even the act of battle becomes neutral when viewed through the lens of eternal truth.
Spiritual Symbolism:
| Term | Symbolic Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hantā (Killer) | Egoic doer, falsely identifying with action |
| Hatam (Slain) | Egoic sufferer, thinking it is destroyed |
| Na hanti | The Self does not act or cause harm |
| Na hanyate | The Self cannot be destroyed |
| Vijānītaḥ (Truly Know) | True knowledge comes from realization, not logic |
Modern-Day Relevance:
- When we face loss, violence, or injustice, we often feel overwhelmed.
- But this verse invites us to witness the eternal Self, beyond all phenomena.
- If internalized, it provides:
- Emotional resilience — understanding that the true Self remains untouched
- Release from guilt — especially in situations involving difficult duties or outcomes
- Discrimination (viveka) — between what is real (ātman) and what is illusory (body-mind)
Reflection Questions:
Am I identifying as a doer or sufferer, or as the eternal witness?
How do I handle loss or responsibility — through ego or soul awareness?
Can I act in the world without attachment to the result or ego?
Do I truly believe that who I am cannot be harmed or destroyed?
Conclusion:
This verse is an invitation to true knowledge — not intellectual, but experiential. It tells us that death and killing belong to the realm of illusion (body-world), not the realm of truth (Self). The soul is immortal, untouched by weapon or grief.
Krishna’s aim here is not to justify war but to remove delusion, empowering Arjuna to act from wisdom, not weakness.