Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 26

English Translation

On the other hand, if you think this One is born continually or dies constantly, even then, O mighty-armed one, you ought not to grieve thus.

Detailed Commentary

।।2.26।। Explanation—'Atha chainaṁ… śocitumarhasi'—The Lord here, from another perspective, using the terms 'atha cha' and 'manyase', states that although the principle and truth is that the Atma is never born and never dies (Gita 2.20), even if you assume that the Atma is always born and dies, you still should not grieve. Because whoever is born will die, and whoever dies will be born again; no one can circumvent this law. If a seed is sown in the ground, it germinates into a plant and then becomes a tree. Observe carefully: did that seed ever remain in a constant form? First, from being hard, it became soft, then transformed into a sprout, from a sprout into a tree, and finally withered away. Thus, the seed never remained in one form, but continuously kept changing. Had the seed remained uniform even for a moment, how would the process of withering have occurred? It shed its former form – this was its dying; and adopted another form – this was its being born. In this manner, it was born and died every moment. Just like a seed, so too is this body. A portion of semen combines with the ovum, gradually forming a child and taking birth. After birth, it grows, then diminishes, and finally dies. Thus, the body does not remain in one form even for a moment, but keeps changing, meaning it is born and dies every moment. The Lord says that even if you consider the Atma, like the body, to be perpetually subject to birth and death, it still cannot be a cause for lamentation.