Verse-31
Chapter 13 — Kshetra Kshetrayagya Vibhag Yoga
Verse 31
🕉 Original Sanskrit Shloka
anāditvānnirguņatvāt paramātmayamavyayaḥ
śarīrastho'pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate
🕉 English Translation
Anadi gunon se rahit jo sadaa,
Avinashi aisa hai Paramatma.
Rehte huye bhi iss deh mein woh,
Na karta hai kuch aur na asakta ho.
📜 Translation
English
O Arjun! This Supreme being beginningless and devoid of qualities though seated in the body does not perform any act nor gets affected.
The Supreme is seated in the body; there is no doubt about it. The Blessed Lord has acknowledged this on several occasions in the Gita. The movement of the body is the clear evidence of this fact. In this verse, the Blessed Lord is creating awareness of the distinctiveness of the knower, in comparison to that of the field, of the self or the soul in comparison to body and of the self in comparison to nature-
The body has a beginning but for the Supreme there is no beginning, He is beginningless. He was existing even prior to the creation of all the bodies and the universe. The one which has a beginning will have an end too. By being beginningless the Lord is Immutable and Imperishable. The body is the work of the qualities. Behind the birth and functions of the body the three qualities play an active role. The Supreme always transcends all qualities.
The body acts in accordance with the qualities. The consciousness of the soul provides the energy but is not a doer. Previously also, it has been indicated that the current is provided by electricity; the work is performed as per the electrical appliance. The Supreme is a power which is totally unaffected by the body and the works of the body. A clarification of this along with an illustration is provided in the following verse: