Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 - Samkhya Yoga - Sloka 22

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of  The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Rebirth of the embodied - 22

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 2 - Samkhya Yoga - Sloka 22

Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grhnati naro parani I

Tatha sharirani vihaya jirnani anyani samyati navani dehi II sloka 22

वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि ग्रह्णाति नरो पराणि ।

तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णानि अन्यानि संयति नवानि देहि ।। श्लोक २२ 

As a man casting off worn out garments puts on new ones, so the embodied, casting off worn out bodies enters into others that are new.

It is only after procurement of new clothings that man can reject the old worn out ones. The snake develops new skin from within and then casts off the slough. Even so the jivatman mentally assumes a new form before disassociating itself from the old body. In other words, his mental make up does not die along with the gross body. It is called subtle body and persists with its innate tendencies and dispositions. This is the core of the jivatman and he survives the death of the physical frame. He then chooses to develop another gross body in a womb suited to his attainments.