Lord Krishna
Divine TeacherThe Supreme Lord, the charioteer and divine guide of Arjuna. Krishna delivers the eternal wisdom of the Gita, revealing the nature of the soul, duty, and the path to liberation.
Speaking: Chapter 2, Verse 23
Verse 23
Hard VerseSānkhya Yoga — The Yoga of Discernment
The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
Context & Meaning
Weapons cannot cut the soul, fire cannot burn it, water cannot moisten it, wind cannot dry it.
Scholar Commentaries
1 commentary · Public domainAdi Shankaracharya
Advaita VedantaThe four classical elements of ancient Indian philosophy — earth (represented by weapons/cutting), fire, water and air — are each shown to be powerless against the Atman. This is because the Self is not material; it is pure Consciousness, which is not of the same ontological category as matter and therefore cannot be acted upon by material forces.