BG 2.27

जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च ।
तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca
tasmād aparihārye ’rthe na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi

Word-for-word meanings

hi — because;  jātasya — for one who is born;  mṛtyuḥ — death;  dhruvaḥ — [is] certain;  ca — and;  mṛtasya — for one who dies;  janma — birth;  dhruvam — [is] certain;  tasmāt — therefore;  tvam — you;  na arhasi — do not deserve;  śocitum — to grieve;  arthe — in the matter;  aparihārye — of the inevitable.

Translation

For one who is born, death is certain, and for one who dies, birth is certain. Therefore, you should not grieve over the inevitable.

Watch Video Explanations

Raise a Query

Sign In to Post
Parul PuriBhagavad Gītā readerAwaiting User Response

Asked 19 Oct 2026, 21:22

Reader question

If someone's mother or a very near one dies, which is inevitable. And one cries. Thats natural human emotion.

Does this sloka says we shouldn't even cry in such cases, won't that make a person hard hearted and non compassionate for one's or anyone's else grief.

  1. Admin AnsweredEdited 20 Oct 2026

    When someone dear to us dies, the sorrow becomes difficult to handle. Śrī Kṛṣṇa's instruction offers us solace. He is explaining to Arjuna what the reality is. If we think our near and dear one's are their bodies alone, then why cry? The body is material - made of atoms. If we accept that our near and dear ones are the ātmā, why cry? The ātmā never dies.

    Whether we want to cry or not is up to us. There is no compulsion to accept any of these teachings. If we have śraddhā in Bhagavān's teachings, then we will reflect on them and draw solace from them at times of distress. They can give us strength to face the passing of near and dear ones.

    On the path of bhakti, one sees everyone in relation to Bhagavān, and therefore worthy of care and respect. There is no question of hard-heartedness. But compassion out of ignorance is also not recommended - because the same compassion can turn into hard-heartedness if the person who is dear to us, has a disagreement or falling out with us. They are two sides of the same 'material' coin.