Bhagavad Gita 2.26
Sankhya Yoga · English Translation
Sanskrit
अथ चैनं नित्यजातं नित्यं वा मन्यसे मृतम् | तथापि त्वं महाबाहो नैवं शोचितुमर्हसि ||२-२६||
Transliteration
atha cainaṃ nityajātaṃ nityaṃ vā manyase mṛtam . tathāpi tvaṃ mahābāho naivaṃ śocitumarhasi ||2-26||
But even if thou thinkest of It as being constantly born and constantly dying, even then, O mighty-armed, thou shouldst not grieve.
Word by Word
अथ now, च and, एनम् this (Self), नित्यजातम् constantly born, नित्यम् constantly, वा or, मन्यसे thinkest, मृतम् dead, तथापि even then, त्वम् thou, महाबाहो mightyarmed, न not, एवम् thus, शोचितुम् to grieve, अर्हसि (thou) oughtest
Classical Commentary
Lord Krishna here, for the sake of argument, takes up the popular supposition. Granting that the Self is again and again born whenever a body comes into being, and again and again dies whenever the body dies? O mightyarmed (O Arjuna of great valour and strength), thou shouldst not grieve thus, because birth is inevitable to want is dead and death is inevitable to what is born. This is the inexorable or unrelenting Law of Nature.