Bhagavad Gita 13.32 · Krishna
In the body, untouched
अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्ययः।
शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते॥
anāditvānnirguṇatvātparamātmāyamavyayaḥśarīrastho’api kaunteya na karoti na lipyate
Beginningless and beyond the gunas, this undying supreme Self, though living in the body, son of Kunti, neither acts nor is stained.
Words
- guṇa
What it means
Krishna says the supreme Self is beginningless and beyond the gunas, the forces of nature. Though it lives in the body, it doesn't act and it isn't stained. Whatever the body and mind go through, the deepest Self remains clean, untouched, whole.
The story
Arjuna fears his actions will stain him forever. Krishna points to something in him that can never be stained. That's not an excuse. It's a source of courage.
In your life
Think of someone who survived something terrible and still has a gentleness no one could take. Something in them stayed untouched. Remember there's a part of you no past can stain.
Something in you can never be stained.