Bhagavad Gita 2.20
The enduring self is not born and does not die
Sankhya Yoga · Knowledge and Discernment
Original Sanskrit
Bhagavad Gita verse 2.20 in Sanskrit
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं 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 ’yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
Plain-language meaning
What the verse says
The self is described as neither coming into birth nor passing into death. It is unborn, enduring, and ancient; when the body is destroyed, the self is not destroyed with it.
Context in the dialogue
Arjuna’s grief rests partly on identifying the person entirely with the body. Krishna introduces a distinction between the changing embodied condition and the enduring self. The verse does not deny human grief; it places mortality within a larger account of consciousness.
Key Sanskrit terms
- jāyate
- is born
- mriyate
- dies
- ajaḥ
- unborn
- nityaḥ
- enduring or eternal
- śarīre
- in the body
Reflection for daily life
Practice the principle
Let awareness of change deepen care rather than detachment from people. Remembering that identity is more than the body can soften fear, while compassion still asks us to honour loss and protect life.