Bhagavad GitaBhagavad Gita 2.27
Chapter 2, verse 27: the Sanskrit, the Roman letters, the meaning and what it is used for.
जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च
तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyurdhruvaṃ janma mṛtasya ca
tasmādaparihārye'rthe na tvaṃ śocitumarhasi
Meaning
For one who is born, death is certain, and for one who has died, birth is certain. Therefore you should not grieve over what cannot be avoided.
Explanation
Here Krishna offers an argument from the cycle itself. If birth and death are both unavoidable, then it is no use turning grief into a permanent state. The verse does not forbid mourning; it points to the point where mourning becomes a refusal to accept what cannot be changed. Many families recite it in the days after a death.
Where it fits
This is verse 27 of 72 in chapter 2, "The wisdom of the self and of steady action" (Sankhya Yoga). previous verse (2.26) · next verse (2.28)
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Questions people ask
What does Bhagavad Gita 2.27 mean?
For one who is born, death is certain, and for one who has died, birth is certain. Therefore you should not grieve over what cannot be avoided.
Where is this verse?
It is verse 27 of chapter 2 (The wisdom of the self and of steady action), which has 72 verses.
Meanings and explanations are our own wording, not an authorised translation. Readers of the Gita follow different traditions and teachers; please ask yours about what you read here.