SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
SlOkam – Original
vAsAmsi jIrNAni yathA vihAya navAni gruhNAthi narO ’parANi |
thathA SarIrANi vihAya jIrNAni anyAni samyAthi navAni dhEhI ||
word-by-word meaning
nara: – man
yathA – how
jIrNAni vAsAmsi – worn out clothes
vihAya – give up
aparANi navAni (vAsAmsi) – other new clothes
gruhNAthi – will accept
thathA – like that
dhEhI – AthmA (who dwells in the body)
jIrNAni SarIrANi – worn out bodies
vihAya – give up
anyAni navAni (SarIrANi) – other new bodies
samyAthi – nicely acquires
Simple Translation
Like how a man gives up worn out clothes and accepts new clothes, the AthmA (who dwells in the body) gives up worn out bodies and nicely acquires other new bodies.
Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam
As, casting off worn out garments, man puts on other new ones, so does the dweller of the body eschew worn out bodies and migrate to new ones.
We learn from the Śāstras that those who drop their bodies in a righteous war, receive other bodies of a surpassingly more blessed character. Such an event, in our opinion, is certainly matter for unmixed rejoicing, as is the case of one who doffs worn our raiment (clothing) and dons a new and more decent one.
Again, now, the subject of the indestructibility of ātmā enounced in verse: “Know that that verily is indestructible, by which all this is pervaded” (II-17), is developed for better comprehension, and the subject is emphasized as follows:
archived in http://githa.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.