न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमेऽजनाधिपाः ।न चैव न भविष्यामः सर्वे वयमतः परम् ॥
na tv evāhaṃ jātu nāsaṃ na tvaṃ neme janādhipāḥ |na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayam ataḥ param ||
- न · na
- never
- तु · tu
- but, indeed
- एव · eva
- certainly
- अहम् · aham
- I
- जातु · jātu
- ever, at any time
- न · na
- not
- आसम् · āsam
- was, existed
- न · na
- nor
- त्वम् · tvam
- you
- न · na
- nor
- इमे · ime
- these
- जनाधिपाः · janādhipāḥ
- kings, rulers of men
- न · na
- nor
- च · ca
- and
- एव · eva
- certainly
- न · na
- not
- भविष्यामः · bhaviṣyāmaḥ
- shall cease to be
- सर्वे · sarve
- all
- वयम् · vayam
- we
- अतः · ataḥ
- hereafter, from now
- परम् · param
- onwards
“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor these kings — nor shall any of us ever cease to be hereafter.”
— Original plain-language translation
IN SHORT You have always existed and always will; your worth goes deeper than this moment.
Eternity stated as simple biography: no beginning, no end, for anyone on this field — killers and killed alike. If Arjuna fears annihilating his kin, Krishna answers that annihilation is not on offer; only bodies are. Like actors changing costumes between scenes while remaining the same people backstage.
— Reader's notes (original)