Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 – Verse 20 – Na Jayate Mriyate Va Kadacin

After stating that the soul neither slays nor is slain, Lord Krishna now provides a definitive, poetic, and powerful "resume" of the soul. The Na Jayate Mriyate Va Kadacin verse is one of the most famous in the Gita, quoted widely for its beautiful and comprehensive description of the soul's eternal qualities. It systematically negates every change that a material body undergoes, proving the soul's absolute transcendence.

Sanskrit Verse

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन् नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः ।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥ २० ॥

Contents

Transliteration

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre

Word for Word Translation

na jāyate — is not born; mriyate — dies; vā — or; kadācit — at any time; na — not; ayam — this (soul); bhūtvā — having come into being; bhavitā — will be; vā — or; na bhūyaḥ — will not be again; ajaḥ — unborn; nityaḥ — eternal; śāśvataḥ — ever-existing; ayam — this; purāṇaḥ — primeval; na hanyate — is not slain; hanyamāne — being slain; śarīre — when the body.

A symbolic, cinematic shot for the Na Jayate Mriyate Va Kadacin verse, showing an ancient, living Banyan tree surrounded by the cycle of life and death. — Ajo Nityaḥ Śāśvato ’yaṁ Purāṇo – Unborn, Eternal, Ever-Existing, and Primeval

English Translation

For the soul, there is neither birth nor death at any time. It has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and primeval. It is not slain when the body is slain.

Explanation

Each Bhagavad Gita verse whispers ancient truths, let’s listen closely with Vedic Stories…

This verse systematically dismantles the illusion of mortality by describing the soul’s immunity to the six transformations of the body (`ṣaḍ-vikāra`). Let’s break down these divine qualities:

Na jāyate mriyate vā: “Neither birth nor death.” The soul is not subject to the first and last changes of the body. This directly refutes the idea that we are created at conception and annihilated at death.
Ajaḥ (Unborn): The soul does not take birth. It has no beginning. This reaffirms that it is an eternal entity without a point of origin in material time.
Nityaḥ (Eternal): The soul is ever-existing, without cessation. It does not grow or age. Its state is constant and unchanging, unlike the body which is in a perpetual state of flux.
Śāśvataḥ (Ever-existing): This implies the soul does not decay or dwindle. It is permanently itself, not subject to the deterioration that affects all material things.
Purāṇaḥ (Primeval): The soul is the oldest. This is a profound concept. The `purāṇa` is the original person, the witness of all bodily changes, yet it remains ever-fresh and new.
Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: “It is not slain when the body is slain.” This is the thunderous conclusion that brings the entire philosophy into sharp focus for Arjuna. Having established what the soul *is* (eternal, primeval, etc.), Krishna confirms what it is *not*—subject to the body’s fate.

Conclusion

This verse is the philosophical heart of Krishna’s argument against grief. If the entity within the body is unborn, undying, unchanging, and primeval, then what is there to lament? The destruction of the body (`śarīre hanyamāne`) becomes an insignificant event from the perspective of the soul’s eternal existence. By understanding these qualities, a wise person ceases to identify with the perishable body and its fate, and instead anchors their identity in the timeless, indestructible reality of the Atman.