Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 20 (BG 2.20)

জীবন্ত গীতা

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कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते

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कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते

You have the right to act...

প্রথম পাতা

প্রথম পাতা জ্ঞান পাঠ্যক্রম সম্প্রদায়টুকে রাখা সেটিংস

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 20 — Meaning & Commentary | Live Gita

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न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्
नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः |
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ||२-२०||

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ . ajo nityaḥ śāśvato.ayaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre ||2-20||

It is not born, nor does It ever die; after having been, It again ceases not to be; unborn, eternal, changeless and ancient, It is not killed when the body is killed.

In simple words

Krishna describes the soul to Arjuna: "The soul was never born and it never dies. It didn't come into existence at some point and it won't go out of existence. It is permanent, ancient, and untouched when the body is destroyed."

Word-by-word meanings

नnotजायतेis bornम्रियतेdiesवाorकदाचित्at any timeनnotअयम्this (Self)भूत्वाhaving beenभविताwill beवाorनnotभूयः(any) moreअजःunbornनित्यःeternal

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

Swami Sivananda

2.20 न not? जायते is born? म्रियते dies? वा or? कदाचित् at any time? न not? अयम् this (Self)? भूत्वा having been? भविता will be? वा or? न not? भूयः (any) more? अजः unborn? नित्यः eternal? शाश्वतः changeless? अयम् this? पुराणः ancient? न not? हन्यते is killed? हन्यमाने being killed? शरीरे in body.Commentary This Self (Atman) is destitute of the six types of transformation or BhavaVikaras such as birth? existence? growth? transformation? decline and death. As It is indivisible (Akhanda). It does not diminish in size. It neither grows nor does It decline. It is ever the same. Birth and death are for the physical body only. Birth and death cannot touch the immortal? allpervading Self.

Swami Chinmayananda

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

Swami Sivananda

Swami Chinmayananda

In this verse, it is taught that the atman is beyond all the transformations that occur within the body. Birth, existence, growth, transformation, decay, and destruction—these six types of changes occur in the body, and through them the living being experiences suffering. For a mortal body, all these causes of sorrow are negated with respect to the atman; that is to say, the atman is entirely free from these transformations. The atman does not take birth as the body does, for it eternally exists. Waves arise and pass away, yet with them neither does the ocean come into being nor does it perish. That which has a beginning must also have an end. The towering waves themselves breathe the final breath of death. For the atman, which eternally exists, the question of birth and death does not arise. Therefore, it is said here that the atman is unborn and eternal. After negating agency and objecthood in the atman, and thereafter establishing through reasoning its immutable nature, the Blessed Lord concludes this subject, saying:

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 20 (BG 2.20) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

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