Verse 13.33
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्यादाकाशं नोपलिप्यते | सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथात्मा नोपलिप्यते ||३३||
Transliteration (IAST)
yathā sarva-gataṁ saukṣmyād ākāśaṁ nopalipyate | sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā nopalipyate ||33||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
Just as the all-pervading space is not tainted because of its subtlety, so the Self, though present everywhere in the body, is not tainted.
Commentary
Krishna employs the classic Vedantic analogy of space (ākāśa) to illustrate the Self's untaintability. Just as space pervades everything yet remains unaffected by what it contains - smoke, dust, or fragrance - so the Self pervades the body without being affected by bodily conditions. Shankaracharya frequently uses this analogy in his commentaries to explain how the Self remains pure despite apparent embodiment.