वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि। तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा-न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही॥ २२॥
Word-by-Word Meanings (Padartha)
सरल हिंदी भावार्थ:
जैसे मनुष्य पुराने वस्त्रों को त्यागकर दूसरे नए वस्त्रों को ग्रहण करता है, वैसे ही जीवात्मा पुराने शरीरों को त्यागकर दूसरे नए शरीरों को प्राप्त होती है।
English Translation:
As a human being casts off worn-out garments and puts on other new ones, so the embodied soul casts off worn-out bodies and enters into other new ones.
Context & Living Philosophy
Narrative Context
To dispel Arjuna's grief over the physical mortality of warriors and elders assembled on the battlefield, Lord Krishna presents the vivid everyday metaphor of discarded clothing: death is merely the shedding of an outworn biological vessel by the immortal soul (Dehi), which seamlessly assumes a new embodiment.
Philosophical Essence & Commentary
The verse establishes the profound distinction between the physical sheath (Śarīra) and the indwelling conscious entity (Dehī / Ātman). The physical body undergoes the six transformations (Ṣaḍ-bhāva-vikāra: birth, existence, growth, alteration, decay, death), while the Atman remains eternal, unconditioned, and immutable.