Bhagavad Gita 2.30

Sanskrit

देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत । तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥2.30॥

Transliteration

dehī nityamavadhyo'yaṃ dehe sarvasya bhārata | tasmātsarvāṇi bhūtāni na tvaṃ śocitumarhasi ‖2.30‖

Meaning

“The embodied Self in everyone's body is eternally indestructible, O Bharata. Therefore you should not grieve for any being.”

Key learning

The same indestructible inner self lives in every body, friend and enemy alike. So grieving for any being as if they were truly being wiped out rests on the same mistake. This also rules out hatred: what is deepest in your opponent is the same as what is deepest in you. You may have to fight, but contempt is never required.

How to apply this today

Give everyone, even people you oppose, the same basic dignity you give yourself. In a hard conflict like a lawsuit or rivalry, you can fight firmly while reminding yourself the other person has the same worth, which keeps the fight from turning into hatred that hurts you most. When reading about wrongdoers, condemn the actions without erasing the person's basic humanity. Today, when someone angers you, oppose what they did while refusing to write them off as worthless.

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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