Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2, Verse 18

Contents

0.1 अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ता: शरीरिण: |
0.2 अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत || 2.18 ||

1 भावार्थ:
2 Translation

Chapter 2, Verse 18

अन्तवन्त इमे देहा नित्यस्योक्ता: शरीरिण: |

अनाशिनोऽप्रमेयस्य तस्माद्युध्यस्व भारत || 2.18 ||

Antavanta ime dehāḥ nityasya uktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ
Anāśino ’prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva Bhārata

भावार्थ:

इस नाशरहित, अप्रमेय, नित्यस्वरूप जीवात्मा के ये सब शरीर नाशवान कहे गए हैं, इसलिए हे भरतवंशी अर्जुन! तू युद्ध कर॥18॥

Translation

Only the material body is perishable; the embodied soul within is indestructible, immeasurable, and eternal. Therefore, fight, O descendent of Bharat.

Explanation in English:

Krishna continues his teaching on the difference between the body and the soul, reinforcing Arjuna’s understanding to act with spiritual clarity.

1. “Antavanta ime dehāḥ” – “These bodies are perishable”

The physical body has a beginning and an end. It is temporary (antavanta = having an end).

2. “Nityasya uktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ” – “But the soul within is eternal”

The indweller of the body, the soul (śarīrī), is eternal (nitya) — it lives on even after the body dies.

3. “Anāśinaḥ aprameyasya” – “It is indestructible and immeasurable”

The soul cannot be destroyed or fully grasped by the senses or mind. It is beyond measure — aprameya.

4. “Tasmād yudhyasva Bhārata” – “Therefore, O Arjuna, fight!”

Since killing the body does not kill the soul, Krishna urges Arjuna to fulfill his duty as a warrior (Kshatriya) and not let emotional attachments deter him from righteous action.

Key Teaching:

Krishna clearly separates the body, which dies, from the soul, which lives on.
He’s saying: “Don’t grieve for the physical form — your duty lies beyond it.”
This is not a call to violence, but a call to action based on truth — without fear, attachment, or confusion.