देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत ।
तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥
तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
हे भरतवंशोद्भव अर्जुन सबके देहमें यह देही नित्य ही अवध्य है । इसलिये सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके लिये अर्थात् किसी भी प्राणीके लिये तुम्हें शोक नहीं करना चाहिये ॥
English
O descendant of Bharata, the embodied one in every body is eternal and cannot be slain. Therefore you should not grieve for any being.
What this verse means
The true self in every body cannot be destroyed, so there is no reason to grieve for anyone.
Context & commentary
On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Arjuna is frozen by grief and fear. Krishna answers by pointing to the deepest reality: the embodied one in every body is not destroyed. That truth undercuts Arjuna’s sorrow and prepares him for duty.
Why this verse still matters
You stand beside a hospital bed, hearing a diagnosis you cannot fix. Panic says everything is ending; this verse says what is deepest in a person is beyond harm.
The takeaway
Loss feels different when you remember that what is deepest in a person cannot be cut off.
Word-by-word translation
देही (the embodied one) / नित्यम् (always, eternally) / अवध्यः (not to be slain) / अयम् (this) / देहे (in the body) / सर्वस्य (of all) / भारत (O Bharata) / तस्मात् (therefore) / सर्वाणि (all) / भूतानि (beings) / न (not) / त्वम् (you) / शोचितुम् (to grieve) / अर्हसि (you should)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga — The Yoga of Knowledge, which contains 72 verses.
Explore related themes: atman (12 verses), grief (10 verses)