Bhagavad Gita 2.19

The self neither kills nor is killed, and those who think otherwise do not understand it.

य एनं वेत्ति हन्तारं यश्चैनं मन्यते हतम्।
उभौ तौ न विजानीतो नायं हन्ति न हन्यते॥

ya enaṃ vetti hantāraṃ yaś cainaṃ manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṃ hanti na hanyate

Translation

"Whoever takes the self to be a killer, and whoever takes it to be killed, are both mistaken. It does not kill and it is not killed."

Hindi

"जो इसे मारने वाला समझता है और जो इसे मरा हुआ मानता है, दोनों ही नहीं जानते। यह न मारता है, न मारा जाता है।"

Commentary

The verse removes the labels "killer" and "victim" from the true self. It repeats a line of the Katha Upanishad, which shows how closely the Gita draws on the older Upanishadic teaching. The positive description of the self follows in 2.20.

Key concepts

Atmanआत्मन्