Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 26
अथ चैनं नित्यजातं नित्यं वा मन्यसे मृतम्।
तथापि त्वं महाबाहो नैवं शोचितुमर्हसि।।
तथापि त्वं महाबाहो नैवं शोचितुमर्हसि।।
atha cainaṁ nitya-jātaṁ nityaṁ vā manyase mṛtam
tathāpi tvaṁ mahā-bāho naivaṁ śocitum arhasi
also searched as "atha chainam nityajatam nityam va manyase mritam"
Translation
Or, if you consider this self as constantly being born and constantly dying, O mighty-armed one, it still does not become you to feel grief.
Vāṇi's rendering
And even if you think it is born and dies again and again — even then, grief makes no sense.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अथatha | and now, but suppose |
| चca | and (sandhi: ca + enam = cainam) |
| एनम्enam | this one, this self |
| नित्यजातम्nitya-jātam | perpetually born, born again and again |
| नित्यम्nityam | constantly, always |
| वाvā | or |
| मन्यसेmanyase | you think, you hold to be |
| मृतम्mṛtam | dead, dying |
| तथाtathā | so, in that case (sandhi: tathā + api = tathāpi) |
| अपिapi | even, still |
| त्वम्tvam | you |
| महाबाहोmahā-bāho | O mighty-armed one |
| नna | not (sandhi: na + evam = naivam) |
| एवम्evam | in this way, like this |
| शोचितुम्śocitum | to grieve, to mourn |
| अर्हसिarhasi | you ought, it befits you |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 26 mean?
It means Krishna is willing to argue on Arjuna's own terms. Even granting that the self is born and dies over and over, grief still has no ground to stand on. The verse removes the last hiding place — you cannot make sorrow reasonable by changing your view of death.
What does 'atha chainam nityajatam nityam va manyase mritam' teach?
It teaches by concession. Krishna says: hold whatever view you like about birth and death — take the self as endlessly born and endlessly dying if you must. Tathāpi, even then, śocitum arhasi na. The conclusion does not move. Grief was never resting on the metaphysics in the first place.
Why does Krishna call Arjuna mighty-armed in this verse?
Because he is speaking to the fighter, not to the philosopher. Mahā-bāho names what Arjuna actually is — a man with strength in his arms and a task in front of him. Krishna keeps addressing that man while taking his arguments apart, so the strength has somewhere to go afterwards.
Is Krishna saying my grief is wrong?
He is saying grief cannot be justified by any theory of death you choose. That is different from calling it wrong. Feeling arrives on its own; Krishna is closing the door on reasoning that keeps it in place. What remains is the feeling itself, passing, while you continue doing what is yours to do.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna gives ground on purpose. Suppose Arjuna is right and there is no deathless self — suppose the thing is born, dies, is born again, endlessly. Fine. Even then, what is there to grieve? A grief that depends on winning an argument about the self was never grief for the dead; it was fear looking for a footing. Krishna calls him mighty-armed here, not confused one — he addresses the warrior while dismantling the excuse. You do not need to settle the metaphysics before you can stand up. Whichever way it turns out, the mourning changes nothing and the work is still there.