Shloka 48
Kṛṣṇa’s Impending Departure; Uddhava’s Surrender; King Yadu and the Avadhūta’s Twenty-Four Gurus
Beginnings
विसर्गाद्या: श्मशानान्ता भावा देहस्य नात्मन: । कलानामिव चन्द्रस्य कालेनाव्यक्तवर्त्मना ॥ ४८ ॥
visargādyāḥ śmaśānāntā bhāvā dehasya nātmanaḥ kalānām iva candrasya kālenāvyakta-vartmanā
สภาวะแห่งชีวิตวัตถุ ตั้งแต่เกิดจนถึงป่าช้า เป็นคุณสมบัติของกาย มิใช่ของอาตมัน ดังดวงจันทร์ที่ดูเหมือนขึ้นแรมเพราะกาลเวลาอันเร้นลับ แต่จันทร์แท้ไม่ถูกกระทบ
The body undergoes six changes: birth, growth, maintenance, production of by-products, dwindling and death. Similarly, the moon appears to grow, diminish and finally disappear. Since moonlight is a lunar reflection of sunlight, it is understood that the moon itself does not grow or diminish; rather, we perceive the reflection of the moon in various phases. Similarly, the eternal soul is not born, nor does it die, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (2.20) : na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit. We perceive the reflection of the soul in the form of the gross material body and the subtle mind, which undergo various material changes.
FAQs
This verse states that all transformations from birth to the cremation ground are conditions of the body, while the ātmā (self) remains distinct; these changes proceed under the unseen movement of time.
Kṛṣṇa uses the moon’s waxing and waning to illustrate how time invisibly governs bodily change, helping Uddhava cultivate clear discrimination between the imperishable self and the perishable body.
Practice remembering that aging and death are bodily processes driven by time; anchor identity in the soul and strengthen devotion and steady remembrance of Bhagavān rather than anxiety over inevitable physical change.