2.13 — Change and the enduring self

Sanskrit · Teaching film · Everyday practice

Speaker: Krishna, addressing Arjuna.

The shloka

देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा ।
तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति ॥ १३ ॥

Brief meaning

Krishna compares the embodied self’s passage into another body with the changes from childhood through maturity to old age within this life.

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: Notice one change in your life without judging your worth.