Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 18
Bhagavad Gītā 2.18: Bodies end, the self does not
अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ताः शरीरिणः ।
अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत ॥
antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ
anāśino'prameyasya tasmādyudhyasva bhārata
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
These bodies of the eternal, indestructible and immeasurable embodied self are said to have an end; therefore fight, O Bhārata. The call to fight is addressed to Arjuna as a warrior in a just war at a specific moment; most traditions read it as a call to fulfil one’s duty rather than as a general endorsement of violence.
For children
Krishna says: “Bodies grow old one day, but the real you inside never ends. So don’t be scared, Arjuna — do what you have to do.”
Arjuna does not want to fight because his teachers and relatives are on the other side. Kṛṣṇa reminds him that the self does not die, and that he should not abandon his duty out of grief.
Word by word
अन्तवन्त इमे देहा — These bodies come to an end
- antavat: having an end
- deha: body
नित्यस्योक्ताः शरीरिणः — it is said, but the one within is eternal
- nitya: eternal
- ukta: said, declared
- śarīrin: the one who lives in the body
अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य — indestructible and beyond measure
- anāśin: indestructible
- aprameya: beyond measure
तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत — so stand up and fight, Arjuna
- tasmāt: therefore
- yudhyasva: fight
- bhārata: descendant of Bharata (Arjuna)
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.