Read a Lecture by Srila Prabhupada on this Verse
Ya WNa& veita hNTaar& YaêENa& MaNYaTae hTaMa( )
o>aaE TaaE Na ivJaaNaqTaae NaaYa& hiNTa Na hNYaTae )) 19 ))
ya enaà vetti hantäraà
yaç cainaà manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijänéto
näyaà hanti na hanyate
SYNONYMS
yaù-anyone who; enam-this; vetti-knows; hantäram-the killer; yaù-anyone who; ca-also; enam-this; manyate-thinks; hatam-killed; ubhau-both; tau-they; na-never; vijänétaù-are in knowledge; na-never; ayam-this; hanti-kills; na-nor; hanyate-is killed.
TRANSLATION
Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain.
PURPORT
When an embodied living entity is hurt by fatal weapons, it is to be known that the living entity within the body is not killed. The spirit soul is so small that it is impossible to kill him by any material weapon, as will be evident from subsequent verses. Nor is the living entity killable, because of his spiritual constitution. What is killed, or is supposed to be killed, is the body only. This, however, does not at all encourage killing of the body. The Vedic injunction is mä hiàsyät sarvä bhütäni: never commit violence to anyone. Nor does understanding that the living entity is not killed encourage animal slaughter. Killing the body of anyone without authority is abominable and is punishable by the law of the state as well as by the law of the Lord. Arjuna, however, is being engaged in killing for the principle of religion, and not whimsically.
