अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ताः शरीरिणः ।अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत ॥
antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ |anāśino 'prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva bhārata ||
- अन्तवन्तः · antavantaḥ
- having an end, perishable
- इमे · ime
- these
- देहाः · dehāḥ
- bodies
- नित्यस्य · nityasya
- of the eternal
- उक्ताः · uktāḥ
- are said to be
- शरीरिणः · śarīriṇaḥ
- of the embodied one
- अनाशिनः · anāśinaḥ
- of the indestructible
- अप्रमेयस्य · aprameyasya
- of the immeasurable
- तस्मात् · tasmāt
- therefore
- युध्यस्व · yudhyasva
- fight
- भारत · bhārata
- O Bharata (Arjuna)
“These bodies are said to have an end; the embodied one is eternal, indestructible, immeasurable. Therefore fight, O Bharata.”
— Original plain-language translation
Metaphysics lands as a command: 'therefore fight'. The logic only works if Arjuna's objection was truly about killing persons rather than bodies — Krishna wagers the entire teaching on that distinction. Whether the wager persuades is the reader's own work.
— Reader's notes (original)