Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 12
Bhagavad Gītā 2.12: We have always been
न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः ।
न चैव न भविष्यामः सर्वे वयमतः परम् ॥
na tvevāhaṃ jātu nāsaṃ na tvaṃ neme janādhipāḥ
na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayamataḥ param
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
Never was there a time when I was not, nor you, nor these rulers of men; nor will there be a time hereafter when any of us shall cease to be. Kṛṣṇa speaks of the continuity of the self (ātman) in every being. Commentators read the plural “we” in different ways, according to how each school understands the many selves and their relation to the one.
For children
Krishna says: “There was never a time when I wasn’t here, or you, or all these people. And there will never be a time when we stop being.”
Kṛṣṇa begins to explain why the wise do not grieve: the self in every person was, is, and will be.
Word by word
न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं — Never was there a time when I was not
- aham: I
- jātu: ever, at any time
- na āsam: I was not
न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः — nor you, nor these kings
- tvam: you
- ime: these
- janādhipa: king, ruler of people
न चैव न भविष्यामः — nor will there be a time when we are not
- bhaviṣyāmaḥ: we shall be
सर्वे वयमतः परम् — any of us, from now on
- sarve: all
- vayam: we
- ataḥ param: from now on, hereafter
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.