Not pierced by arrows nor burnt by fire,
Affected by neither water nor wind,
The Self is not a physical creature.
Not wounded, not burnt, not wetted, not dried,
The Self is ever and everywhere,
Immovable and everlasting.
The Self cannot be known by the senses,
Nor thought by the mind, nor caught by time.
If you know this, you will not grieve.
Even if you mistake the Self to be
Subject to birth and death, you must not grieve.
For death is certain for those who are born,
As rebirth is certain for those who die.
Why grieve over what cannot be avoided?
We perceive creatures only after birth,
And after they die we perceive them not.
They are manifest only between birth
And death. In this there is no cause for grief.
Some there are who have realized the Self
In all its wonder. Others can speak of it
As wonderful. But there are many
Who don't understand even when they hear.
Deathless is the Self in every creature.
Know this truth, and leave all sorrow behind.
Affected by neither water nor wind,
The Self is not a physical creature.
Not wounded, not burnt, not wetted, not dried,
The Self is ever and everywhere,
Immovable and everlasting.
The Self cannot be known by the senses,
Nor thought by the mind, nor caught by time.
If you know this, you will not grieve.
Even if you mistake the Self to be
Subject to birth and death, you must not grieve.
For death is certain for those who are born,
As rebirth is certain for those who die.
Why grieve over what cannot be avoided?
We perceive creatures only after birth,
And after they die we perceive them not.
They are manifest only between birth
And death. In this there is no cause for grief.
Some there are who have realized the Self
In all its wonder. Others can speak of it
As wonderful. But there are many
Who don't understand even when they hear.
Deathless is the Self in every creature.
Know this truth, and leave all sorrow behind.
Bhagavad Gita, chapter 2, verses 13 2 30.
Translated for meditation by Eknath Easwaran.
Translated for meditation by Eknath Easwaran.