The knower is not born, nor does it die; it did not come from anywhere, nor did it become anything. Unborn, eternal, permanent, ancient — it is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.

This celebrated verse, which reappears almost identically in the Bhagavad Gītā (2.20), establishes the indestructible nature of the Ātman. It is one of the foundational texts of Indian metaphysics.

Vipaścit — the knower, one who possesses wisdom (vipas). The Ātman is not inert but pure consciousness. Na jāyate na mriyate — it is not born nor does it die. Birth implies a beginning; death implies an end. The Ātman lies outside this temporal sequence.

Nāyaṃ kutaścit — it did not come from anywhere. The existence of the Ātman is not the result of any cause. Both creation and transformation (pariṇāma) are negated here. If it came from something, it would be an effect and therefore perishable.

Na babhūva kaścit — it did not become anything. The Ātman does not evolve or transform into something else. It is immutable (nirviśeṣa). The five predicates that follow reinforce this teaching:

• Aja — unborn, without origin
• Nitya — eternal, existing at all times
• Śāśvata — permanent, unchanging
• Purāṇa — ancient, prior to everything

Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre — it is not destroyed when the body is destroyed. This statement definitively separates the Ātman from the body. The death of the body does not affect the Self, just as breaking a pot does not destroy the space contained within it.

The practical implication is liberating: if the real Self cannot die, the fundamental fear of death has no real basis.