Only the middle is visible

avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyaktamadhyāni bhārataavyaktanidhanānyeva tatra kā paridevanā

Beings are unseen in their beginning, seen in their middle, and unseen again at their end, Bharata. Why lament this?

What it means

Krishna offers a striking picture. Before birth, we can't be seen. After death, we can't be seen. Only the middle, this life, is visible. It's like a stretch of river between two bends. We only see part of the journey. Why lament the parts we can't see?

The story

Arjuna is fixed on the end of lives, the moment of death. Krishna asks him to notice the whole arc. Everyone on this field came from the unseen and will return to it. That doesn't make their lives less precious. It makes them part of something larger.

In your life

Picture new parents holding a baby and wondering, where did you come from? The mystery at the start mirrors the mystery at the end. Let both fill you with wonder, not only fear.