Bhagavad Gita BG 13.33
Chapter 13, Verse 33 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्याद् आकाशं नोपलिप्यते । सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथात्मा नोपलिप्यते ॥
yatha sarva-gatam saukshmat akasham nopalipyate sarvatravasthito dehe tathAtma nopalipyate
Meaning
Just as all-pervading space, by virtue of its subtlety, is not tainted — so the Atman present everywhere in the body is not tainted.
Understanding
The akasha (space) simile: sarva-gatam (all-pervading) saukshmat (because of subtlety) akasham nopalipyate (space is not tainted — a fire in a room does not make space 'hot'; dirt in a room does not make space 'dirty'; perfume in a room does not make space 'fragrant'). Space allows everything to happen within it but is touched by nothing. Tatha atma nopalipyate (so the Atman is not tainted — by all that occurs in the body-mind-field). The Atman is the spacious awareness in which all of life's experiences arise and pass — grief, joy, confusion, clarity — without any of them leaving a permanent mark on the Atman's nature.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| सर्वगतम् | sarva-gatam | all-pervading, going everywhere |
| सौक्ष्म्यात् | saukshmat | because of subtlety, by virtue of its fineness |
| आकाशम् | akasham | space, ether — the most subtle of the five elements |
| नोपलिप्यते | nopalipyate | is not tainted, not defiled, not smeared |
| सर्वत्र अवस्थितः | sarvatra avasthitah | present everywhere, established in all places |
| यथा | yathā | just as |
| सौक्ष्म्यात् | saukṣmyāt | due to subtlety |
| आकाशम् | ākāśam | the sky, space |
| सर्वत्र | sarvatrāvasthitaḥ | situated everywhere |
| देहे | dehe | in the body |
| तथा | tathā ātmā | so too the Self |
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