2-22

वासाम्सि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि ।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णानि अन्यानि सम्याति नवानि देही ॥ २२ ॥

vAsAmsi jIrNAni yathA vihAya navAni gRhNAti naro'parANi |
tathA zarIrANi vihAya jIrNAni anyAni samyAti navAni dehI || 22 ||

यथा [yathA] Just as नरः [naraH] a person विहाय [vihAya] discards जीर्णानि वासाम्सि [jIrNAni vAsAmsi] worn-out clothes गृह्णाति [gRhNAti] and procures नवानि अपराणि [navAni aparANi] other new ones, तथा [tathA] so also देही [dehI] the Self, which owns the body, विहाय [vihAya] discards जीर्णानि शरीराणि [jIrNAni zarIrANi] worn-out bodies सम्याति [samyAti] and takes on अन्यानि नवानि [anyAni navAni] other new bodies.

The Self owns different bodies over time. It remains unchanged even as the body keeps changing.

People who give up the body while performing their duty of war will obtain a new body, which is superior to the one they sacrificed. This is known from the scriptures, just as discarding worn-out clothes and wearing new ones is an occasion of joy indeed.

Again, the statement made before in 2-17: ‘Know that the one, by which all this is pervaded, is indestructible’ is explained next. To make it easier to comprehend, the concept of the Self being indestructible is strengthened here.