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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

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 2.30

The eternal soul beyond bodily death

देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत ।

तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥ ३० ॥

dehī nityam avadhyo ’yaṁ

dehe sarvasya bhārata

tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni

na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi

Translation

O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body can never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any living being.

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

1The soul within the body can never be killed, so there is no need to grieve for any living being.
2Kṛṣṇa teaches that the soul is different from the temporary body. Arjuna should not abandon his duty out of fear that his elders will die.
3The soul’s immortality does not encourage violence. War must be truly needed and sanctioned by the Lord, not based on personal whim.

In the story

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

Theme summary

Discern the eternal self from the temporary.

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: ātmā, jñāna.

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

What does BG 2.30 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to soul & knowledge?

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

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

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

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