A declaration · expansive in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“What is deepest in you was never available for loss.”
It is unseen, beyond thought, and said to be unchanged. Therefore, knowing it this way, you should not grieve.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyunseen · this · unthinkable · this · unchanging · this · is said to be · therefore · thus · having known · this · not · to grieve · you should
The true self is not something you can see, think through, or alter. Knowing that, Arjuna should stop grieving.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Verse 25 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
After a close friend dies young, you may keep asking where he has gone. Krishna's answer to Arjuna is that the self cannot be seen or thought through, does not change, and so needs no grief.
Did you like this verse?
Unseen and beyond thought, the self does not change, Krishna says, so Arjuna has nothing to grieve.
What this verse means
The true self is not something you can see, think through, or alter. Knowing that, Arjuna should stop grieving.
Context & commentary
Krishna answers Arjuna's grief with a deeper view of the person within the body. The body changes and dies, but the inner reality is beyond sight, thought, and change, so mourning it makes no sense.
What it looks like today
After a close friend dies young, you may keep asking where he has gone. Krishna's answer to Arjuna is that the self cannot be seen or thought through, does not change, and so needs no grief.
“The self cannot be seen or changed, so grieving for it misses the point.”
Explore related themes: atman (12 verses), grief (10 verses), avyakta (10 verses)