Bhagavad Gita · Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga YogaChapter 13, Shloka 28 (13.28)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
समं पश्यन् हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितमीश्वरम्
न हिनस्त्यात्मनाऽऽत्मानं ततो याति परां गतिम्
॥ 13.28 ॥
samaṃ paśyan hi sarvatra samavasthitamīśvaram
na hinastyātmanā''tmānaṃ tato yāti parāṃ gatim
Translation
"Because they see the Lord abiding equally everywhere, they do not harm the self by the self (do no violence) — and they reach the supreme goal."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. samaṃ paśyan … na hinasti hiṃsāṃ na karoti ātmanā svenaiva svam ātmānam — does no violence to oneself by oneself; tataḥ tadahiṃsanāt yāti parāṃ … gatiṃ mokṣākhyām — through that non-violence, liberation.
Acharya Ramanuja. ātmānaṃ … jñānaikākāratayā samaṃ paśyan ātmanā manasā svam ātmānaṃ na hinasti, rakṣati, saṃsārāt mocayati — seeing equally, one does not kill oneself with the mind — one protects oneself and frees oneself from samsara.
Shridhara Swami. ātmanā svenaivātmānaṃ na hinasti avidyayā saccidānandarūpam ātmānaṃ tiraskṛtya na vināśayati — one does not "destroy" one's own Self, which is existence-consciousness-bliss (sat-chit-ananda), by covering it with ignorance; authority, the Isha Upanishad: asuryā nāma te lokā … ātmahano janāḥ — those who slay the Self go to the worlds of darkness.
Madhusudana Saraswati. ayam aham asmīti śāstradṛṣṭyā sākṣātkurvan — "this is what I am" — realising it through the vision of scripture; and rucyutpattaye — the fruit is stated to awaken interest.
Shankaracharya — further. He explains the meaning of "slaying the Self": the ignorant one, ātmānaṃ tiraskṛtya anātmānam ātmatvena parigṛhya — covering the real Self and taking the body to be the Self — loses that "self" in every birth; therefore ātmahā sarvaḥ ajñaḥ — every ignorant person is a slayer of the Self.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.