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Chapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized · 72 verses

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Soul & knowledgeChapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized
2.272.29

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 2.28

The eternal soul beyond bodily death

अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत ।

अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना ॥ २८ ॥

avyaktādīni bhūtāni

vyakta-madhyāni bhārata

avyakta-nidhanāny eva

tatra kā paridevanā

Translation

All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

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

No Cause for Lamentation

  1. 1Created beings are unmanifest before creation, manifest for a time, and unmanifest again after destruction. Why lament?
  2. 2Even if one does not believe in the soul, material elements are not lost; they become unmanifest again.
  3. 3The Vedic conclusion is that the soul is eternal and the body perishable. Losing the body is like changing a dress, so there is no cause for lamentation.

Where we are

In the story

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

What it teaches

Theme summary

Discern the eternal self from the temporary.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: ātmā, jñāna.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 2.28 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to soul & knowledge?

Practice

Spend five minutes reflecting on what in you does not change.

4

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 2.11The eternal soul beyond bodily deathBG 2.12The eternal soul beyond bodily deathBG 4.34The humility of real inquiryBG 15.7The living being belongs to Krishna

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

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Ask about BG 2.28 — 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.