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Na Jayate Mriyate Va (Bhagavad Gita 2.20)

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचित् in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 Early morning during meditation; during times of grief; or in remembrance of departed loved ones·📜 Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 20

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 20 is one of the most celebrated declarations of the soul's immortality in all of scripture. Lord Krishna teaches that the atman (Self) is unborn, eternal, ever-the-same, and ancient — beyond the six modifications of birth, growth, decay, and death that affect only the body. When the body perishes, the soul is untouched and remains forever. This verse is the heart of the Gita's teaching that there is life beyond death.

Origin & Story

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 20 · Spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna; recorded by Sage Veda Vyasa in the Mahabharata (Bhishma Parva) · Ancient (part of the Mahabharata, traditionally dated to the Dvapara Yuga)

In the second chapter of the Gita, Sankhya Yoga, Krishna systematically removes Arjuna's grief and delusion by teaching the eternal nature of the soul. After describing how the wise do not lament for the living or the dead, Krishna gives this verse as the definitive statement of the soul's immortality. It draws directly from the ancient wisdom of the Upanishads and remains among the most quoted verses on the deathless Self.

✦ As told in scripture

Great souls have departed this world reciting this very verse, their faces serene, having realized themselves as the unborn and undying atman. It is traditionally held that one who truly absorbs the meaning of this verse crosses beyond the fear of death entirely.

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The Mantra

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na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato ’yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre

Meaning:The soul is never born, nor does it ever die; nor having once existed does it ever cease to be. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and primeval; it is not slain when the body is slain.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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na jāyate🔊is not born

mriyate🔊dies

vā🔊or

kadāchit🔊at any time, ever

na ayam🔊this (soul) does not

bhūtvā🔊having come into being

bhavitā🔊will be, will come to be

na bhūyaḥ🔊not again, never again

ajaḥ🔊unborn

nityaḥ🔊eternal

śhāśhvataḥ🔊immortal, ever-the-same

ayam🔊this (soul)

purāṇaḥ🔊the most ancient, primeval

na hanyate🔊is not slain, is not destroyed

hanyamāne śharīre🔊when the body is slain

Benefits of Chanting न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचित्

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Completely dissolves the fear of death by affirming the soul's deathless nature

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One of the supreme verses for meditation on the immortal Self (atman)

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Brings deep peace and fearlessness (abhaya) to the mind

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Consoles those who mourn, affirming that the departed soul lives on eternally

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Anchors the seeker in the truth that the true Self is unborn and indestructible

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Frequently recited in funeral and memorial rites to invoke peace for the departed soul

How to Chant न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचित्

Repetitions11times

Best TimeEarly morning during meditation; during times of grief; or in remembrance of departed loved ones

Recite this verse slowly and meditatively in Sanskrit, dwelling on each quality of the soul — unborn, eternal, ever-existing, ancient. It may be chanted 3, 11, or 21 times. Along with verse 2.13, this is a principal verse contemplated at the time of death and in shraddha and memorial ceremonies to affirm the imperishability of the atman.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचित् written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It means 'The soul is never born and never dies; it does not come into being and cease to be. It is unborn, eternal, everlasting, and ancient; it is not killed when the body is killed.' It is Krishna's declaration of the soul's immortality in Bhagavad Gita 2.20.

Bhagavad Gita 2.20 closely echoes a famous verse of the Katha Upanishad (1.2.18) describing the eternal, unborn Self. Both texts affirm the same truth: the atman is beyond birth and death, never slain even when the body perishes.

It is one of the clearest and most complete statements of the soul's immortality in Hindu scripture. By describing the atman as unborn, eternal, changeless, and ancient, it forms the philosophical foundation of the Gita's teaching that death is only a change of body, not the end of the Self.

It is recited during daily meditation on the Self, in times of grief, and during funeral and memorial (shraddha) rites. Contemplating it brings fearlessness toward death and peace to both the living and the departed.