2.12 — Change and the enduring self

Sanskrit · Teaching film · Everyday practice

Speaker: Krishna, addressing Arjuna.

The shloka

न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः ।
न चैव नभविष्यामः सर्वे वयमतः परम् ॥ १२ ॥

Brief meaning

Krishna speaks of his own existence, Arjuna’s and that of the assembled rulers as extending beyond the present, into both past and future.

In the conversation

Krishna begins the sustained teaching with the distinction between changing embodied life and the continuing self. This is a spiritual account of existence, not a claim that the physical body never dies. Different traditions explain the relation of self and ultimate reality in different ways. Keep the verses together before reducing them to a motivational slogan.

Everyday reflection

Look at an old childhood photograph. Your body, abilities and responsibilities have changed. The photograph can invite a question about what you mean when you say “I.” It does not prove the whole doctrine of rebirth. Let it begin reflection rather than end inquiry. You might write down three roles you have occupied and notice that none tells the complete story of who you are. Then return to Krishna’s larger question about the self that is known through those changes.

Consider today: Keep the question of the self open while reading the source.