न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः ।अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ |ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre ||
- न · na
- never
- जायते · jāyate
- is born
- म्रियते · mriyate
- dies
- वा · vā
- or
- कदाचित् · kadācit
- at any time
- न · na
- nor
- अयम् · ayam
- this (self)
- भूत्वा · bhūtvā
- having come to be
- भविता · bhavitā
- will come to be
- वा · vā
- or
- न · na
- not
- भूयः · bhūyaḥ
- again
- अजः · ajaḥ
- unborn
- नित्यः · nityaḥ
- eternal
- शाश्वतः · śāśvataḥ
- everlasting
- अयम् · ayam
- this
- पुराणः · purāṇaḥ
- primeval, ancient
- न · na
- not
- हन्यते · hanyate
- is slain
- हन्यमाने · hanyamāne
- when it is slain
- शरीरे · śarīre
- the body
“It is never born, nor does it ever die; having been, it will never not be again. Unborn, eternal, everlasting, primeval — it is not slain when the body is slain.”
— Original plain-language translation
IN SHORT Your deepest self cannot be broken or ended, even when your body changes.
Six denials of change, hammered in the ancient rhythm — this verse echoes the Katha Upanishad nearly verbatim, anchoring Krishna's teaching in older scripture. Memorize this one; the tradition treats it as the Gita in miniature. Like the flame passed from one lamp to another, never harmed when the old lamp breaks.
— Reader's notes (original)