Bhagavad Gita 2.30
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 30 of 72
देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत। तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि॥
dehī nityam avadhyo 'yaṃ dehe sarvasya bhārata / tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni na tvaṃ śocitum arhasi
In every body, the soul is indestructible — so for no being should you grieve.
Word by word (4)
- dehī nityam avadhyaḥ ayam
- — the soul in the body is eternally indestructible · 'Dehī' — the one who has a body (deha). The distinction between dehī (soul, eternal) and deha (body, perishable) is the Gita's core philosophical distinction.
- dehe sarvasya bhārata
- — in the body of every being, O Bharata · Universal: not just Bhishma and Drona, but every being without exception.
- tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni
- — therefore for all beings
- na tvaṃ śocitum arhasi
- — you should not grieve
'The soul within every being's body is eternally indestructible, O Bharata. Therefore, for any being — you should not grieve.'
A modern analogy
The teaching is now explicitly universal: not just Bhishma and Drona, not just the warriors on both sides — every living being has this indestructible soul. The philosophical teaching is not just a philosophical argument; it is the ground of compassion extended to all life.
Take with you
- This verse closes the immortality section with universalization: every being, without exception.
- 'Nityam avadhyaḥ' — eternally indestructible. The adverb 'nityam' (always) makes this an absolute statement.
- The conclusion — 'na tvam śocitum arhasi' — echoes the earlier reminder that, knowing the self to be unmanifest and unchangeable, you should not grieve. The philosophical section has a clear structure: diagnosis (grieving for those who need no grief), teaching (the soul's eternity across these verses), and conclusion (the twin calls not to mourn).
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
This Atman, O Arjuna, is never born and never dies at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and ancient. He is not killed when the body is killed. [4]
The soul that dwells in the body of every being is always indestructible. Therefore, O Arjuna, thou shouldest not grieve for any creature. [6]
The soul which is not wounded by the sword, not dried by the wind, not burned by fire, not moistened by water — such is the soul in all bodies. [7]
O descendant of Bharata! this Indweller within the body of every being is always indestructible. Therefore, for no being shouldest thou mourn. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
You grieve for those who should not be grieved for — and call it wisdom.
The paṇḍita sees equally in a learned Brahmin, cow, elephant, dog, and outcaste — sama-darśana.
Once that joy is found, no other gain seems greater — established in it, even the heaviest sorrow cannot shake you.
'Alas' — the word before the argument ends and the grief takes over completely.
Sanjaya describes what the blind king cannot see: Arjuna weeping, overwhelmed with compassion.
Unmanifest, inconceivable, unchangeable — knowing this, you should not grieve.
Verse 30 of 72 · back to Chapter 2