आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि ।मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥
āsurīṃ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani |mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṃ gatim ||
- आसुरीम् · āsurīm
- demoniac
- योनिम् · yonim
- womb, birth
- आपन्नाः · āpannāḥ
- fallen into
- मूढाः · mūḍhāḥ
- the deluded
- जन्मनि जन्मनि · janmani janmani
- birth after birth
- माम् · mām
- me
- अप्राप्य · aprāpya
- without reaching
- कौन्तेय · kaunteya
- O son of Kunti
- ततः · tataḥ
- then
- यान्ति · yānti
- they go
- अधमाम् · adhamām
- to the lowest
- गतिम् · gatim
- destination
“Falling into demoniac births, deluded birth after birth, never reaching me, O Kaunteya — they sink to the lowest end.”
— Original plain-language translation
The tragedy is cumulative: each birth narrows the next, and the goal recedes. Never reaching me is the true loss — worse than any suffering. Yet the Gita elsewhere insists no one is ever finally cut off (9.30–9.32); descent ends the moment one turns.
— Reader's notes (original)