2.22 Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so also the embodied Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others which are new.

2.22 Vasamsi etc. just as a well - dressed person, on the destruction of his garment, gets himself dressed in another more suitable garment, and he does not perish on that account, in the same way the Self, dressed with different bodies [behaves].

**2.22.** Just as a man discards worn-out garments and puts on new ones, so too the embodied soul (dehi) discards worn-out bodies and enters into new ones. **Commentary:** "Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni... saṁyāti navāni dehī" – In the thirteenth verse of this chapter, it was stated in a condensed form that the wise do not grieve regarding the acquisition of another body. Now, the same point is being explained clearly with an example: just as a man does not grieve over the change of old clothes, similarly, one should not grieve over the change of bodies. It is humans who change clothes, not animals or birds; therefore, in this example of changing clothes, the term 'naraḥ' is used. This term 'naraḥ' denotes the human species, and within it are included all—men and women, children, youth, the elderly, etc. Just as a man discards old clothes and puts on new ones, so does this embodied soul discard old bodies and assume new ones. Discarding the old body is called 'dying', and assuming a new body is called 'being born'. As long as the connection with Prakriti (Nature) remains, this embodied soul, having discarded old bodies, continues to attain new bodies according to its karma or according to the contemplation at the time of death. Here, the plural form in the term 'śarīrāṇi' (bodies) implies that as long as the soul does not attain true knowledge of its real nature, it continues to assume bodies for an infinite period. It is not even possible to count how many bodies it has assumed till now. Keeping this in mind, the plural form is used in the term 'śarīrāṇi', and the term 'dehī' is used here to indicate all living beings. In the first half of the verse, worn-out clothes are mentioned, and in the second half, worn-out bodies. How does the analogy of worn-out clothes apply to bodies? The reason is that bodies of children and youth also die. It is not that only the worn-out bodies of the elderly die! The answer is that the body dies only when its lifespan is exhausted, and the exhaustion of lifespan itself is the 'worn-out' state of the body. Whether it is the body of a child, a youth, or an elderly person, upon the exhaustion of lifespan, they will all be called 'worn-out'. In this verse, by using the words 'yathā' (just as) and 'tathā' (so too), the Lord says: just as a man discards old clothes and puts on new ones, so too this embodied soul discards old bodies and goes to new ones. A doubt arises here. Just as childhood, youth, and old age occur automatically, similarly, the acquisition of another body happens automatically (2.13). Here, the 'yathā' and 'tathā' seem incongruent. However, (in this verse) while in discarding old clothes and putting on new ones, man has freedom, but in discarding old bodies and assuming new ones, the embodied soul has no such freedom. So how do 'yathā' and 'tathā' apply here? The resolution is that here the Lord's intention is not to speak of freedom or dependence, but rather to remove the grief arising from separation from the body. Just as the one who wears (the man) remains the same even after discarding old clothes and putting on new ones, similarly, even after discarding old bodies and going to new ones, the embodied soul remains exactly the same, unattached; therefore, there is no reason to grieve. From this perspective, this analogy is perfectly apt. A second doubt arises: discarding old clothes and putting on new ones brings pleasure, but discarding old bodies and assuming new ones brings pain. So how do 'yathā' and 'tathā' apply here? The resolution is this: the pain associated with the death of bodies does not occur due to dying, but rather due to the desire to live. The desire 'May I live' remains within, and when one has to die, then pain is felt. The meaning is that when a man identifies himself with the body, he considers the death of the body as his own death and grieves. But one who does not identify himself with the body does not feel pain in death; on the contrary, he feels bliss! For example, a man does not identify himself with his clothes, so he feels no pain in changing them. The reason is that there his discrimination is clearly awake that the clothes are separate and he is separate. However, if the same changing of clothes is done for a small child, he cries even while taking off old clothes and putting on new ones. His pain is solely due to foolishness, due to lack of understanding. It is to remove this foolishness that the Lord has given the analogy of clothes here using the words 'yathā' and 'tathā'. Here, for putting on clothes, the Lord used the verb 'gṛhṇāti' (takes/puts on), but for assuming bodies, He used the verb 'saṁyāti' (goes). Why did the Lord make this distinction in verbs? From the worldly viewpoint, due to ignorance, it appears that man, while remaining in his place, puts on clothes, whereas in acquiring another body, the embodied soul has to go to those respective bodies. It is taking this worldly viewpoint that the Lord has made the distinction in verbs. **Special Point:** In the Gita, through terms like 'yena sarvam idaṁ tatam' (2.17), 'nityaḥ sarvagataḥ sthāṇuḥ' (2.24), etc., the embodied soul is described as all-pervading, eternal, omnipresent, and of a stable nature; and through terms like 'saṁyāti navāni dehī' (2.22), 'śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti' (15.8), etc., the embodied soul is said to go to other bodies. Therefore, how can that which is all-pervading, omnipresent, have coming and going? Because going is said of one who is not in a particular place and goes there; and coming is said of one who is in another place and arrives here. But in the case of the embodied soul, neither of these applies! The resolution is this: just as when someone's childhood changes to youth, he says, 'I have become young'. But in reality, he himself has not become young; rather, his body has become young. Therefore, what he was in childhood, he remains in youth as well; in youth too, he is the same. But due to identifying with the body, he superimposes the change of the body upon himself. Similarly, coming and going are actually attributes of the body, but due to identification with the body, he considers them as his own coming and going. Therefore, in reality, the embodied soul does not go or come anywhere; only due to identification with bodies does coming and going appear to occur. Now the question arises: what is the cause of this cycle of birth and death that has been going on since beginningless time? From the perspective of karma, birth and death occur to experience the fruits of good and bad deeds; from the perspective of knowledge, birth and death occur due to ignorance; and from the perspective of devotion, birth and death occur due to turning away from God. Among these three, the main cause is that birth and death are happening due to the misuse of the freedom that God has given to the soul. Now, how can that birth and death cease? By using the granted freedom rightly, birth and death will cease. The meaning is that birth and death have occurred due to performing actions for one's own selfish interest; therefore, by renouncing selfish interest and performing actions for the welfare of others, birth and death will cease. Birth and death have occurred due to disrespecting one's own true knowledge; therefore, by respecting one's own true knowledge, birth and death will cease. Birth and death have occurred due to turning away from God; therefore, by turning towards God, birth and death will cease. **Connection:** Having described the impassivity of the soul through an example, now in the next three verses, the same is described in another manner.