22. Doing Your Duty – Reincarnation, Rebirth – Bhagavad Gita, CH2, Verse 21-22

Chapter 2, Verse 21: Krishna introduces indestructible Atman (self) to Arjuna. He emphasizes duty (svadharma) and necessity of participation. Krishna urges Arjuna to see beyond personal relationships, recognize his larger role, and act objectively. Verse illustrates how individual actions affect the collective, using analogy of fingers and an arm to show the importance of each person's contribution. Verse essence: One who knows the self as indestructible and eternal cannot truly kill or cause death.Chapter 2, Verse 22: Body is equated to clothes and reincarnation is introduced. Krishna explains how self (Atman) discards old bodies for new ones. It presents logical arguments for reincarnation, emphasizing cause-effect relationships lasting millennia. It introduces concepts of subtle body and causal body. The causal body, or “karma account,” stores unseen results (adrsta phala) of past actions as punya (blessings) or papa (suffering), determining future body-mind combinations. Krishna concludes by reassuring Arjuna about the continuity of the subtle body after death. Verse essence: Just as one changes old clothes for new ones, the self discards old bodies for new ones.See notes for this session at: https://www.yesvedanta.com/bg2/