Step 4 of 7 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Pick any verse to see what it means and how to use it in your life.

  1. 1Tap a chapter, then a verse
  2. 2Read what it means
  3. 3Try the practice
700 verses37 detailed
Or browse by chapter
Chapter

Chapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized · 72 verses

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172

Deep profile← → keys move between verses

Soul & knowledgeChapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized
2.122.14

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 2.13

The self endures bodily change

देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा ।

तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति ॥ १३ ॥

dehino ’smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

Translation

As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

The Soul Remains Unchanged

  1. 1The soul passes through childhood, youth, and old age, then enters another body at death. A sober person is not confused by this change.
  2. 2The soul itself does not change. Each soul remains an individual, distinct from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord.
  3. 3Even after liberation, the soul remains an individual and lives eternally in bliss and knowledge with the Lord.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 2, Contents of the Gītā Summarized: the eternal soul beyond bodily death.

What it teaches

Study note

A familiar analogy—bodily change—introduces the eternal soul.

How it feels

Interpretive

Perspective

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Body

The soul remains through bodily changes.

Individual soul

The embodied soul passes through bodily changes.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I defining anyone solely by a temporary bodily situation?

Practice

Reflect on the enduring soul beneath changing roles and circumstances.

4

The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 2 ›
5

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 2.22The eternal soul beyond bodily deathBG 13.2The body, its knower and the field of knowledgeBG 2.20The soul does not dieBG 15.7The living being belongs to Krishna

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

Ask the study guide

Ask about BG 2.13 — get a simple answer linked to related ideas and verses.

Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.