na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
"The soul is never born, nor does it ever die. It has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. It is unborn, eternal, everlasting, and primeval. It is not killed when the body is killed."
What This Means:
This is one of the most important verses in the Gita. The soul was never born—so it can never die. It doesn't 'begin' at conception or 'end' at death. It is eternal, ancient, and forever. When the body dies, the soul continues, completely unaffected.
Going Deeper:
Six adjectives describe the soul: unborn (aja), eternal (nitya), everlasting (shashvata), primeval (purana), not killed (na hanyate), and beyond becoming (na bhavita). This isn't poetry—it's a precise philosophical statement. The soul exists outside of time and causation.
How To Apply This:
Meditate on this: 'I was never born, and I will never die.' Not your body—that was born and will die. But the awareness reading these words right now—that was never created and will never be destroyed. Rest in this identity.
Key Sanskrit Terms: