वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि ।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णान्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ॥ २२ ॥
vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro'parāṇi
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇānyanyāni saṃyāti navāni dehī
vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro'parāṇi
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇānyanyāni saṃyāti navāni dehī
Word by word
Translation
As a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on others that are new, so the embodied self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others that are new.
जैसे मनुष्य पुराने वस्त्र छोड़कर दूसरे नए वस्त्र पहन लेता है, वैसे ही आत्मा पुराने शरीर छोड़कर दूसरे नए शरीर प्राप्त करता है।
Explanation
The Gita’s most famous illustration: the body is like a garment and the Self is the one who wears it. When the garment changes, the wearer does not. This is the principle of rebirth, which 2.13 explained through the example of childhood, youth and old age.
How this verse connects
देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा ।Frequently asked questions
Where does the Gita compare the body to clothing?
In Bhagavad Gita 2.22: just as a person casts off old clothes and puts on new ones, so the Self casts off an old body and takes on a new one.
Sources
- Original text: Bhagavad Gita (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva)
- English and Hindi translation, explanation: SanatanBodh editorial team
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