vedāvināśinaṃ nityaṃ ya enamajamavyayam |kathaṃ sa puruṣaḥ pārtha kaṃ ghātayati hanti kam ||
One who knows this self to be indestructible, eternal, unborn and unchanging—how can that person, O Partha, have anyone killed, or kill anyone?
Explanation
Krishna is speaking to Arjuna, who is reluctant to fight and kill his relatives. Having described the self (ātman) as unborn and deathless, he now draws the conclusion: someone who truly knows this cannot see themselves as the one who kills or has others killed. Traditions differ on the point: Advaita readers take it as denying real agency in the self, while others take it as teaching action without attachment to its outcome.