Bhagavad Gita 2.20

Sanskrit

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन् नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः । अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥2.20॥

Transliteration

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ | ajo nityaḥ śāśvato'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre ‖2.20‖

Meaning

“The Self is never born, nor does it ever die; nor, having once been, does it cease to be. Unborn, eternal, everlasting, primeval, it is not slain when the body is slain.”

Key learning

The real Self was never born and never dies, it just is. The deepest part of you stands outside the timeline of beginnings and endings.

How to apply this today

When mortality frightens you, return to this: the core of you isn't something that started or will stop. Don't let fear of the end keep you from living fully right now.

Theme: The Yoga of Knowledge

This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga , read all verses in this chapter.

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