Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 26
Bhagavad Gītā 2.26: Even if you think otherwise
अथ चैनं नित्यजातं नित्यं वा मन्यसे मृतम् ।
तथापि त्वं महाबाहो नैवं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥
atha cainaṃ nityajātaṃ nityaṃ vā manyase mṛtam
tathāpi tvaṃ mahābāho naivaṃ śocitumarhasi
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
And even if you think of it as constantly born and constantly dying, even then, O mighty-armed, you should not grieve like this. Kṛṣṇa now argues from his listener’s possible view rather than his own, a second line of reasoning (2.26–2.28) that reaches the same conclusion.
For children
Krishna says: “Even if you don’t believe what I just told you, there is still no need to be this sad, Arjuna.”
Having explained that the self is eternal (2.11–2.25), Kṛṣṇa now shows that grief is unnecessary even from a different point of view.
Word by word
अथ चैनं नित्यजातं — And even if you think it is always being born
- atha: and if, now if
- nityajāta: always being born
नित्यं वा मन्यसे मृतम् — or always dying
- nitya: always
- manyase: you think
- mṛta: dead
तथापि त्वं महाबाहो — even then, mighty-armed one
- tathāpi: even so
- mahābāhu: mighty-armed (Arjuna)
नैवं शोचितुमर्हसि — you should not grieve like this
- evam: like this
- śocitum arhasi: you should grieve
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.