Bhagavad Gita 2.20 · Krishna
Never born, never dies
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्
नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे॥
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥajo nityaḥ śāśvato’ayaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
It is never born and never dies. Unborn, eternal, ancient, it is not slain when the body is slain.
Words
- ātman
What it means
This is one of the Gita's most beloved verses. Krishna describes the atman, the true Self, in words that sound like a poem. Unborn. Eternal. Everlasting. Ancient. When the body falls, the Self does not. What we really are was never born and will never end.
The story
Krishna speaks this to a man about to lose almost everyone he loves. It isn't a cold fact. It's consolation. The grandfather, the teacher, the cousins, none of them, at their deepest, can be lost.
In your life
Imagine a daughter reading this verse at her mother's funeral, voice shaking, finding a little peace in it. If you're grieving, read it slowly, out loud. Let it hold you, without needing to understand all of it.
What you love most cannot die.