Bhagwad Gita - Post 21

Verse 23

Nainam cchindanti shastraani

nainam dahati paavakah;

Na chainam kledayantyaapo

na shoshayati maarutah.

(Weapons cut it not, fire burns it not, water wets it not, wind dries it not.)

It could be interjected that just as in a burning house the occupants of the house are burned along with it, so also in the case of the soul if the physical body is burnt or cut might not the soul be burnt or cut as well. 

To annihilate this misconception the Supreme Lord Krishna explains that never can the soul be cut by weapons, never can the soul be burned by fire, never can the soul be moistened by water and never can the soul be withered by air. 

Although only one use of the word na meaning never would have been sufficient to establish the premise of utter futility in trying to destroy the soul, it is used four times to strengthen the emphasis insuring there is not even the slightest vestige of doubt.

WEAPONS CLEAVE IT NOT --- It is very well-known that with an axe one can cut down a thing, but neither can one wound water, fire, air or space with a sword, however sharp it might be. 

The principle is that no instrument can hit or destroy an element subtler than itself. Naturally, therefore, Atman, the Self, the very cause of the subtlest element, space, and necessarily therefore, subtler than space, cannot be cut asunder by the gross instruments.

FIRE CANNOT BURN IT --- Fire generally can burn things other than the fire, but it cannot burn itself. The burning capacity in fire is the very Essence, the Truth in it, and therefore, fire cannot burn its own Essence, viz., its fiery nature. 

Wherever there is fire, it can consume things only in space and yet, space is never consumed by fire. Things are consumed by fire in space. If space itself cannot be consumed by fire, how impotent it must feel when it tries to consume the cause of space, the Self?

WATER CANNOT MOISTEN IT --- Things get soaked only when they have got inter-space in themselves. A piece of bread can be soaked in water or milk, but a piece of iron cannot be soaked, as iron has no inter-space in it.

When the substance is one homogeneous mass containing nothing other than itself to condition it, water cannot enter the substance and, therefore, cannot soak it. 

Another method of destruction observed is either through the quick effects of water, that is drowning, etc., or through the slow effects of moisture, such as corroding, etc. Even these cannot destroy the Truth.

WIND DRIES IT NOT --- Dehydration is possible only when there are some traces of water in the substance dehydrated. Every crystal has its own water of crystallization, which, when removed, causes the crystals to lose their distinct shapes and forms and get pulverized into a fine powder. 

The Supreme Consciousness contains nothing other than Itself and therefore, annihilation through the process of dehydration is not possible.

The unseen is always explained in terms of the seen, and thereby the unknown becomes fully indicated, rather than defined; for, any unknown thing merely defined in itself remains as unknown as before. 

Similarly, here, the Changeless, Immutable, Self is being described by Lord Krishna in terms of the mutable and ever-changing world which is very familiar to Arjuna and all people like us. In the world-of-change, objects come to their annihilation through instruments of death or they are consumed by fire or destroyed by water or dried up by air. 

Say to yourself, ‘weapons cannot cut me.’ But weapons kill your body! Then who are you? If you believe yourself to be the body, mind and intellect you get affected by the world. You become a victim, tossed around by the fluctuations in the world. Shift your focus to Atman. 

The world will no longer torment you. Even the mind, intellect and vasanas are immune to physical changes in the world. When you are engrossed in a book you are oblivious to hunger, thirst and other demands of the body.

The masters emphasize that all suffering is because of wrong identification. The world by itself has no power to disturb you. You become vulnerable when you mistakenly believe yourself to be the body-mind-intellect. 

When you understand you are Atman the world ceases to traumatize you. You may interact with the world and do what you have to but as a master, not slave. Only then can you enjoy the world.

Love.