Again and again

bhūtagrāmaḥ sa evāyaṃ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyaterātryāgame’avaśaḥ pārtha prabhavatyaharāgame

This same host of beings, born again and again, helplessly dissolves at nightfall, Partha, and comes forth again at dawn.

What it means

Krishna says the same beings are born again and again. At the cosmic night they dissolve, avashah, without choice. At dawn they arise again. It's an image of the wheel of rebirth, turning endlessly for those who haven't found the way out.

The story

Krishna isn't being bleak. He's naming the cycle so that Arjuna can see the exit. The next verses point to something beyond the endless round.

In your life

Maybe you know someone who keeps falling into the same kind of relationship, again and again, until they finally see the pattern. Name one cycle in your life you'd like to step out of.