B.G 2.20

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन् नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः । अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥२-२०॥

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ । ajo nityaḥ śāśvato'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre ॥2-20॥

[न (na) - not; जायते (jāyate) - is born; म्रियते (mriyate) - dies; वा (vā) - or; कदाचित् (kadācit) - at any time; न (na) - not; अयम् (ayam) - this; भूत्वा (bhūtvā) - having been; भविता (bhavitā) - will be; वा (vā) - or; न (na) - not; भूयः (bhūyaḥ) - again; अजः (ajaḥ) - unborn; नित्यः (nityaḥ) - eternal; शाश्वतः (śāśvataḥ) - permanent; अयम् (ayam) - this; पुराणः (purāṇaḥ) - ancient; न (na) - not; हन्यते (hanyate) - is killed; हन्यमाने (hanyamāne) - being killed; शरीरे (śarīre) - body;]

The soul is never born, nor does it ever die; nor, having once existed, does it cease to be. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying, and primeval. The soul is not slain when the body is slain.

The Lord is neither born nor does he die. The ever existent neither come into being nor ceases to exist. The Jīva transmigrating from one body to another is unborn, eternal, and permanent (as he is similar to Lord). The Jīva is not destroyed when his body is destroyed.

Gīta Bhāshya 2.20

Lord is eternal and the same always. Jīva is eternal, as he is similar to the Lord. But, he has a variance in knowledge, unlike the Lord. As Jīva travels from one body to another, he is called ‘purāna’.

अत्र मन्त्रवर्णोऽप्यस्तीत्याह– न जायत इति॥ नचेश्वरज्ञानवद् भूत्वा भविता। तद्धि -'तदैक्षत' (छां.उ.६.२.३)।

atra mantravarṇo'pyastītyāha– na jāyata iti॥ naceśvarajñānavad bhūtvā bhavitā। taddhi -'tadaikṣata' (chāṃ.u.6.2.3)।

[अत्र (atra) - here; मन्त्रवर्णः (mantravarṇaḥ) - mantra text; अपि (api) - also; अस्ति (asti) - is; इति (iti) - thus; आह (āha) - says; न (na) - not; जायत (jāyata) - is born; न (na) - not; च (ca) - and; ईश्वर (īśvara) - God; ज्ञानवत् (jñānavat) - like knowledge; भूत्वा (bhūtvā) - having become; भविता (bhavitā) - will be; तत् (tat) - that; हि (hi) - indeed; तदा (tadā) - then; ऐक्षत (aikṣata) - saw;]

(Here, it is stated that even the mantra text is not created. And like divine knowledge, it will not come into being. For indeed, 'then he saw' (Chandogya Upanishad 6.2.3).)

Even the Vedic hymns accept that the being is unborn. But unlike the knowledge of the Lord, knowledge of the being undergoes variations. It is so stated in ‘tadaikshata’ Vedic statement (chāṁ.u.6.2.3).

"देशतः कालतो योऽसाववस्थातः स्वतोऽन्यतः। अविलुप्तावबोधात्मा"

"deśataḥ kālato yo'sāvavasthātaḥ svato'nyataḥ। aviluptāvabodhātmā"

[देशतः (deśataḥ) - from the country; कालतः (kālataḥ) - from time; यः (yaḥ) - who; असौ (asau) - that; अवस्थातः (avasthātaḥ) - from the state; स्वतः (svataḥ) - from oneself; अन्यतः (anyataḥ) - from others; अविलुप्त (avilupta) - unobstructed; अवबोधात्मा (avabodhātmā) - consciousness;]

(The consciousness that is unobstructed by the country, time, state, oneself, or others.)

“In all places and time, in all states, without there being a difference in its nature or form, Lord with his knowledge is the same.”

(भाग.३.७.५)

(bhāga.3.7.5)

[भाग (bhāga) - part; ३ (3) - 3; ७ (7) - 7; ५ (5) - 5;]

(bhāga.3.7.5)

इत्यादि श्रुतिस्मृतिसिद्धम्।

ityādi śrutismṛtisiddham।

[इति (iti) - thus; आदि (ādi) - beginning; श्रुति (śruti) - Vedas; स्मृति (smṛti) - Smritis; सिद्धम् (siddham) - established;]

(Thus, it is established as per the Vedas and Smritis.)

So he is famous in Vēdas and Purānas.

कुतः? अजादिलक्षणेश्वरसरूपत्वात्। शाश्वतः सदैकरूपः। पुरं देहम् अणतीति पुराणः। तथाऽपि न हन्यते हन्यमानेऽपि देहे ॥२० ॥

kutaḥ? ajādilakṣaṇeśvarasarūpatvāt। śāśvataḥ sadaikarūpaḥ। puraṃ deham aṇatīti purāṇaḥ। tathā'pi na hanyate hanyamāne'pi dehe ॥20॥

[कुतः (kutaḥ) - why; अजादि (ajādi) - unborn etc.; लक्षण (lakṣaṇa) - characteristics; ईश्वर (īśvara) - lord; सरूपत्वात् (sarūpatvāt) - due to the nature; शाश्वतः (śāśvataḥ) - eternal; सदैकरूपः (sadaikarūpaḥ) - always of one form; पुरं (puraṃ) - city; देहम् (deham) - body; अणतीति (aṇatīti) - pervades; पुराणः (purāṇaḥ) - ancient; तथा (tathā) - thus; अपि (api) - even; न (na) - not; हन्यते (hanyate) - is killed; हन्यमाने (hanyamāne) - being killed; अपि (api) - even; देहे (dehe) - body;]

(Why? Because of the nature of the characteristics of the unborn Lord, it is eternal and always of one form. The ancient one pervades the city, the body. Thus, even when the body is being destroyed, it is not destroyed.)

How is Jīva eternal? Because of its similarity with eternality and other qualities of the Lord. Eternally Lord has a single unchanging form. Jīva is called 'purāna' as he travels from one 'pura', body, to the other. Therefore, even when the body is destroyed, it does not cease to exist.

Gīta Tātparya 2.20

There are two references to 'unborn' and 'permanent' in the above verse. So, one refers to the Lord, and the other to the Jīva. Else there will be a redundancy error. The word 'Purāna' refers to transmigrating Jīva. Scriptures state Jīva to be permanent, and thus the dependent nature of Jīva is also permanent.

अयं जीवोSपि अजः नित्यश्च। अन्यथा पुनरुक्तेः। शाश्वतश्च। न कदाचिदस्वातन्त्र्यादिकं जीवस्वरूपं जहाति।

ayaṁ jīvo'pi ajaḥ nityaśca। anyathā punarukteḥ। śāśvataśca। na kadācidasvātantryādikaṁ jīvasvarūpaṁ jahāti।

[अयम् (ayam) - this; जीवः (jīvaḥ) - soul; अपि (api) - also; अजः (ajaḥ) - unborn; नित्यः (nityaḥ) - eternal; च (ca) - and; अन्यथा (anyathā) - otherwise; पुनरुक्तेः (punarukteḥ) - repetition; शाश्वतः (śāśvataḥ) - perpetual; च (ca) - and; न (na) - not; कदाचित् (kadācit) - ever; अस्वातन्त्र्यादिकम् (asvātantryādikam) - dependence and the like; जीवस्वरूपम् (jīvasvarūpam) - nature of the soul; जहाति (jahāti) - abandons;]

(The soul is inherently unborn and eternal, and it remains constant without ever abandoning its true nature, despite any form of dependence or external influence.)

The words 'ajah' i.e. unborn and 'nitya'i.e. everlasting, refer to Jīva, the being. Else it is repetition and results in redundancy error. The Jīva is said to be 'shāshvata', i.e. permanent. So, the dependent attribute of Jīva is natural and a permanent character that does not change with time.

"अल्पशक्तिरसार्वज्ञ्यम् पारतन्त्र्यमपूर्णता। उपजीवकत्वं जीवत्वमीशत्वं तद्विपर्ययः। स्वाभाविकं तयोरेतत् नान्यथा स्यात् कथञ्चन। वदन्ति शाश्वतावेतावत एव महाजनाः॥"

"alpaśaktirasārvajñyam pāratantryamapūrṇatā। upajīvakatvaṃ jīvatvamīśatvaṃ tadviparyayaḥ। svābhāvikaṃ tayoretat nānyathā syāt kathañcana। vadanti śāśvatāvetāvata eva mahājanāḥ॥"

[अल्पशक्ति (alpaśakti) - limited power; असार्वज्ञ्यम् (asārvajñyam) - lack of omniscience; पारतन्त्र्यम् (pāratantryam) - dependence; अपूर्णता (apūrṇatā) - incompleteness; उपजीवकत्वम् (upajīvakatvam) - subsistence; जीवत्वम् (jīvatvam) - mortality; ईशत्वम् (īśatvam) - lordship; तद्विपर्ययः (tadviparyayaḥ) - opposite of that; स्वाभाविकम् (svābhāvikam) - natural; तयोः (tayoḥ) - of those two; एतत् (etat) - this; न (na) - not; अन्यथा (anyathā) - otherwise; स्यात् (syāt) - would be; कथञ्चन (kathañcana) - in any way; वदन्ति (vadanti) - say; शाश्वतौ (śāśvatau) - eternal; एतावत एव (etāvata eva) - only this much; महाजनाः (mahājanāḥ) - great people;]

(Great people say that limited power, lack of omniscience, dependence, incompleteness, subsistence, mortality, and lordship are natural to those two states, and the opposite of these would not occur in any way. This is what the eternal great people declare.)

“Limited power, limited knowledge, dependence, incompleteness, and being a subsistence being are Jīva’s natural qualities. To be a living being, i.e. to be Jīva, is the opposite of being the 'Īswara', which means the Lord. Hence, the wise declare the Jīva to be eternal.”

-इति महाविष्णुपुराणे।

-iti mahāviṣṇupurāṇe।

[इति (iti) - thus; महाविष्णुपुराणे (mahāviṣṇupurāṇe) - in the Mahavishnu Purana;]

- stated thus in Mahā Vishnu Purāna.

पुराणि अणति गच्छतीति पुराणः ॥२०॥

purāṇi aṇati gacchatīti purāṇaḥ ॥20॥

[पुराणि (purāṇi) - ancient texts; अणति (aṇati) - breathes; गच्छतीति (gacchatīti) - goes; पुराणः (purāṇaḥ) - ancient;]

(The ancient texts are considered timeless as they continue to be relevant and influential.)

As Jīva obtains various bodies, he is called 'Purāna'