📿 Shloka Collection

Nainam Chhindanti Shastrani

Gita 2.23 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2 — Sankhya Yoga
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः ।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ॥
Nainam chhindanti shastrani nainam dahati pavakah
Na chainam kledayanty apo na shoshayati marutah
न एनम्
this (soul) cannot be
छिन्दन्ति
cut
शस्त्राणि
weapons
दहति
burn
पावकः
fire
क्लेदयन्ति
wet, moisten
आपः
water
शोषयति
dry
मारुतः
wind

Weapons cannot cut it. Fire cannot burn it. Water cannot wet it. Wind cannot dry it. Four elements of the physical world — each powerful, each capable of transforming matter — and none of them can reach the soul. Krishna speaks with the rhythm of a declaration, each phrase closing another door on the possibility of the soul's destruction.

This is especially pointed for Arjuna, the archer. His entire identity is built around the power of his weapons. He has celestial arrows that can summon fire, water, and wind. And Krishna is telling him: none of those arrows can touch the soul. Your most powerful weapons are powerless against what truly matters. The Gandiva bow that defines you cannot harm what defines your opponents.

The beauty of this shloka is its completeness. Earth (represented by weapons forged from it), fire, water, wind — the four great elements cover the entire material world. If none of them can affect the soul, then nothing physical can. The soul exists in a category that material force simply cannot enter.

According to the Bhagavad Gita, this shloka is one of the most widely recognized verses in all of Hindu scripture. By invoking the four elements — earth, fire, water, and wind — Krishna proves the soul's complete immunity from physical destruction.

This verse has been used for centuries across Indian philosophical traditions to explain the non-material nature of the soul. Its imagery is direct enough for a child to understand and precise enough for a philosopher to study.

Chapter 2 · 23 / 72
Chapter 2 · 23 / 72 Next →