On the field of Kurukshetra, Arjuna collapses at the thought of killing those he loves. Krishna's reply begins with death itself. Here are the nine verses that carry that teaching, in order.
na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ / na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayam ataḥ param
Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor these kings; nor will any of us ever cease to be hereafter.
Krishna's first answer to Arjuna's grief is not comfort but a change of view: the self was never born into time and does not leave it.
dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā / tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati
Just as the embodied self passes through childhood, youth and old age in this body, so it passes into another body; the steady person is not deluded by this.
Death is placed on the same line as ageing — a change you have already lived through many times.
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ / ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
It is never born and never dies; having come to be, it will not cease to be. Unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient, it is not slain when the body is slain.
The Gita's clearest statement on the soul (atman): what dies is the body, not the one who lives in it.
vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi / tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī
As a person casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so the embodied self casts off worn-out bodies and enters new ones.
The best-known image of rebirth in Hindu scripture: the body is clothing, not identity.
nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ / na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo na śoṣayati mārutaḥ
Weapons do not cut it, fire does not burn it, water does not wet it, and wind does not dry it.
None of the elements that undo the body can touch the self.
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca / tasmād aparihārye 'rthe na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi
For one who is born, death is certain, and for one who dies, birth is certain. Therefore you should not grieve over what is unavoidable.
Grief is honoured, but it is asked not to fight the order of things.
anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram / yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ
Whoever, at the time of death, leaves the body remembering Me alone, attains My being; of this there is no doubt.
Chapter 8 turns from what death is to how to meet it: with the mind resting on the Divine.
yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram / taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ
Whatever state of being one remembers when leaving the body at the end, O son of Kunti, that state one reaches, having always been absorbed in it.
The last thought is shaped by a lifetime of thoughts — which is why daily remembrance matters now.
śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ / gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt
When the lord of the body takes on a body and when it departs, it carries the mind and senses with it, as the wind carries scents from their source.
What travels on is not the body but the subtle impressions we have cultivated.
This guide is reflection, not a substitute for grief counselling. If loss feels overwhelming, please reach out to someone you trust or a professional.
Put your own question to the Bhagavad Gita, or speak with Krishna as a Spiritual Guide. For the other great epic, read the Ramayana Summary, or the full Bhagavad Gita summary.
Deep-dive on the eternal Self, Karma Yoga, and Sthitaprajna.
Sanskrit, word-by-word, and the modern meaning of Krishna's promise.
Verses for stress, purpose, leadership, devotion, and the eternal Self.
Browse all articles on the Guides & Blog index.