A declaration · expansive in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“What truly pervades everything cannot be destroyed.”
Know that to be imperishable by which this entire world is pervaded. No one can destroy this imperishable reality.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyimperishable · indeed · that · know · by which · all this · pervaded · destruction · of this imperishable · no one · to do · is able
Know that the reality behind everything is imperishable. No force can destroy what pervades the whole world.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Verse 17 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
When a fire takes the family shop, the owner loses stock, papers and years of work. Krishna's claim is that what pervades everything, the self included, cannot be destroyed, even then.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna points to what pervades the whole world and says no one can destroy it.
What this verse means
Know that the reality behind everything is imperishable. No force can destroy what pervades the whole world.
Context & commentary
Arjuna has dropped into despair and Krishna begins rebuilding his understanding from the ground up. After saying the unreal has no lasting existence, Krishna now points to what cannot be destroyed at all.
What it looks like today
When a fire takes the family shop, the owner loses stock, papers and years of work. Krishna's claim is that what pervades everything, the self included, cannot be destroyed, even then.
“Fear loosens when you realize what is deepest in you cannot be harmed.”
Explore related themes: atman (12 verses)