GITA 2.23
We start with the 1st sloka of Swami Desikan’s Sri Gopala Vimsati: ‘vandebrindavanacharam vallabhi jana vallabam
jayanthi sambavam dhama vyjayanthivibhooshanam’
Brindavan was a forest full of thorns and Sri Krishna converted it into grazing field for the cows. He traversed the entire place. He was the darling of all gopikas and captivated all His devotees. The same Sri Krishna is dwelling in this Thirukkannankudi as Sri Damodara Narayanan. He is also called Sri Shyamala Meni Perumal. Shyam is dark green color. That is why He is described as ‘pachchai maa malai meni’ and ‘kannan ennum karundeivam’. We mentioned about the four humorous old sayings about this place. Thirumangai Alwar, we mentioned earlier, hid the gold in a field. Next day morning the landowner came to plough the land and at that time a dispute arose as to whom the land belonged to. While the owner claimed it was his and showed records, Alwar refuted it and said his records were in Srirangam and wanted time to show the same. The owner agreed and Alwar took away his gold and went to Srirangam but never returned to settle the dispute and so it still remains a thola [unsettled] vazhakku [dispute]. The Alwar saw a well and requested the woman, who was drawing water from the well, to give him water to drink. But the lady having seen the dispute with the farmer of the land, thought Alwar might claim the well and the drawing pot, and so refused. Alwar cursed that all water in this place to go saline and so even now the water in this place is not drinkable. So the saying ‘oora [not springing ] kinaru [well]’. Here, only in the temple well one gets fresh water. These are all incidences narrated for humor. The same Sri Damodara Narayana Perumal as Sri Krishna is telling Arjuna. In the 16th sloka He told about the everlasting nature of the soul and the fleeting nature of the body. In the 17th sloka He gives the reason for the eternity of the soul and in the 18th sloka the reasons for the perishable quality of body. The 17th sloka is:
avinasi tu tad viddhi
yena sarvam idam tatam
vinasam avyayasyasya
na kascit kartum arhati\
Know that which pervades the entire body is indestructible. No one is able to destroy the imperishable soul
"That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul."
Atman is all pervading in the matter we are able to perceive. Here, atman is in singular form, but means every atman it occupies the respective body. Sri Krishna says that if one knows that the atman is indestructible, then one can conclude that there is nothing to destroy the atman. This means no living or nonliving entities can destroy atman. In other words another atman also cannot negate an atman. No materials also can ever annihilate an atman. This indestructibility is natural to atman and so it cannot be wiped out. Just as the fragrance, which is, natural character of a flower cannot be removed. The atman in a body is pervading or spread out in the entire body, just like a glow of a lamp illuminates the entire room it is in. Atman is atomic in size and the body it is residing is much bigger. Scientifically, many atoms form all materials we recognise. But the atman is smaller than the atom and there is nothing smaller than the atman. Here, Sri Krishna postulates a very important law. Only a smaller object can destroy a bigger object. Let us explain this. When an arrow is fired at a body, the tip of the arrow is minute and so it is able to hurt the bigger body. Similarly, the bullets fired from a rifle destroy the target, as the bullet is smaller than the target. That is, only sookshmam [minute] will destroy sthoolam [enormity] and as a corollary sthoolam can never destroy sookshmam. Since atman is the tiniest and there is nothing else smaller than atman, it cannot be destroyed. Let us examine the veracity of this Law. A stout rod destroys a small earthen pot. Apparently,it is contrary to the law mentioned now in that the bigger rod destroyed the smaller pot. But actually, the enormity has not destroyed the pot. If that was true then a big bundle of cotton if thrown on the pot should have broken the pot. Similarly, if the rod were just kept on the pot, the pot remains without breaking. So a massive rod alone is not responsible for breaking the pot. Even a throw cannot break the pot as we saw throwing cotton bundle could not break it. So it is seen that a rod and a force are needed to break the pot. This is also not enough. If the pot were at one place and if we swipe the rod with force at another place, the pot will not break. Because a contact between the rod and pot is essential to break the pot. So, we can now conclude that to break a pot, a mass, a force and a contact are needed. Science tells that mass and velocity [or acceleration] produce force or power and this in a minute form acts at the contact point to destroy. We can remember the famous equation E [energy]= m [mass] Xc*2 [velocity]. Thus the law is observed to be true. An invisible minute power destroyed the pot. That is why Sri Krishna says that atman without a smaller entity being available, can never be destroyed.
(continued)
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