2.23
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः | न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ||२३||
nainaṁ chhindanti śhastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ na chainaṁ kledayanty āpo na śhoṣhayati mārutaḥ
Translation
Weapons cannot cut it, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, and wind cannot dry it.
Interpretation
The soul is beyond all physical forces. The four elements — earth (represented by weapons), fire, water, and wind — cannot touch it. This is not mystical assertion but a logical consequence of the soul's nature: it is not a physical object and therefore cannot be acted upon by physical forces. It exists in a different order of reality.