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Bhagavad Gita 2.20

Chapter 2 · Sankhya YogaSpeaker: Shri KrishnaListener: Arjuna
Edited by the SanatanBodh editorial teamLast updated: 2 sourcesDrafted with AI, checked against sourcesReport a mistake

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन् नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः ।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥ २० ॥

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

Word by word

न जायतेis not born
म्रियते वाnor dies
कदाचित्ever
न अयम् भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयःnor, having come to be, will it cease to be again
अजःunborn
नित्यःeternal
शाश्वतःeverlasting
पुराणःancient
न हन्यतेis not slain
हन्यमाने शरीरेwhen the body is slain

Translation

ENGLISH

The self is never born, nor does it ever die; having come to be, it does not cease to be. Unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient, it is not slain when the body is slain.

हिंदी

यह आत्मा न कभी जन्म लेता है, न मरता है; न यह एक बार होकर फिर न होने वाला है। यह अजन्मा, नित्य, सनातन और पुरातन है; शरीर के मारे जाने पर भी यह नहीं मारा जाता।

Explanation

The marks of the Self, all together: unborn, deathless, eternal, everlasting and ancient. The death of the body is not the death of the Self. Almost the same verse also appears in the Katha Upanishad (1.2.18).

How this verse connects

SpeakerShri KrishnaListenerArjunaConceptAtmanTextMahabharata, Bhishma Parva

Frequently asked questions

Which verse contains "न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्" (na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin)?

Bhagavad Gita 2.20. It calls the Self unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient, and says that it does not die even when the body dies.

Sources

  1. Original text: Bhagavad Gita (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva)
  2. English and Hindi translation, explanation: SanatanBodh editorial team

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