Shrimad Bhagwat Gita : : 2.27

जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च |
तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि || 27||

jātasya hi dhruvo mṛityur dhruvaṁ janma mṛitasya cha
tasmād aparihārye ’rthe na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi

jātasya—for one who has been born; hi—for; dhruvaḥ—certain; mṛityuḥ—death; dhruvam—certain; janma—birth; mṛitasya—for the dead; cha—and; tasmāt—therefore; aparihārye arthe—in this inevitable situation; na—not; tvam—you; śhochitum—lament; arhasi—befitting

2.27: Death is certain for one who has been born, and one who has died will certainly be reborn. Therefore, you should not lament over what is bound to happen.

As certainly and inevitably as day turns into night, and then night turns into day, those who live will die, and eventually be born once again. Everything in life is uncertain, except death and we all know that. And yet, we live in mortal fear of it and our worst fears are always to do with losing a loved one.

While consoling a grieving friend or relative, we stress upon the inevitability of death, and the certainty of each one of us facing it ourselves one day. But we fail to apply these truths to ourselves and are unable to reconcile to the finality of death. We live in a fool’s paradise imagining that death is something that happens to other people.

To accept our own mortality, and of those around us, is to face the ultimate truth. Krishna explains in this verse that life will always end with death , and so a wise person does not lament over the inevitable.

The Gita’s philosophy and teachings have helped me understand much of what otherwise lay in the realm of the unexplained. More importantly, it has helped me come to terms with the finite nature of life on this earth, and simultaneously draw solace from accepting the infinite existence of the soul. It is reassuring to understand the significance of following one’s dharma (duty), performing good karma (deeds), while being engaged in the quest for gyan (knowledge) as one walks on in the hope of attaining moksha (salvation).

Shared here is a brief documentation of what this shloka of the Gita says to me.

Vandana R Singh
New Delhi, June 2020