Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 27

English Translation

For death of anyone born is certain, and of the dead (re-) birth is a certainly. Therefore you ought not to grieve over an inevitable fact.

Detailed Commentary

2.27।। Explanation — *Jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyuḥ, dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca* — According to the previous verse, even if one assumes the embodied being to be perpetually subject to birth and death, it still should not be a cause for grief. For he who is born, will certainly die; and he who has died, will certainly be born again. *Tasmādaparihārye'rthe na tvaṁ śocitumarhasi* — Therefore, no one can prevent this cycle of birth and death, for it is beyond anyone's control. This cycle of birth and death has been continuing since time immemorial and will continue indefinitely. From this perspective, it is not proper for you to grieve. These sons of Dhritarashtra, having been born, will certainly die. You have no means by which you can save them. Those who die will certainly be born again. You cannot stop them either. Then what is there to grieve about? One grieves for the unexpected. For example, everyone knows that if the sun has risen, it will also set, and if it sets, it will rise again. Therefore, people do not grieve when the sun sets. Similarly, O Arjuna! If you believe that Bhishma, Drona, and all others will die with their bodies, then they will also be born with bodies. Hence, from this perspective too, there can be no grief. The point Lord Krishna made in these two verses is not His actual philosophical principle. Therefore, by using the phrase *atha ca* ('and moreover'), the Lord speaks from the perspective of the other side (those who consider the body and the embodied being as one), implying that while this is not the ultimate truth, even if you accept this view, grief is not appropriate. The purport of these two verses is that all things in the world, being momentarily mutable, constantly abandon one form to assume another. In this process, abandoning the former form is 'dying', and assuming the latter form is 'being born'. Thus, he who is born experiences death, and he who dies is born again – this cycle continues perpetually. Even from this perspective, what is there to grieve about? Connection — Having presented an alternative perspective in the previous two verses, the Lord now, in the forthcoming verse, speaks from a completely ordinary viewpoint.