Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta Shlok Blog -74
Shlok-27
जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च । तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥ 2-27 ||
English Transcription
Jaatasya Hi Dhruvo Mrityudhruvam Janma Mritasya Cha | Tasmaadaparihaaryerthe Na Twam Shochitumarhasi || 2-27 ||
Hindi Translation
Kaaran ki paida hue ki zaroor mrityu hogi, or mare hue ka zaroor janm hoga. Atah is janma- maran roop pariwartan prawaah ka nivaran nahin ho sakta. Atah is Vishay me tumhe shok karna nahin chahiye.
English Translation
Death is certain for the born. Birth is certain for the dead. Therefore, you should not grieve over the inevitable.
Meaning
In the previous Shlok, Shri Krishna tries to tell Arjun how death and birth are interrelated so crying for the same doesn’t make any sense. He tells Arjun how some things need to give up their lives to give life to some other things.
In this Shlok, Shri Krishna will continue the same thing and this time with more examples to state that even if Arjun wants to keep believing in what he does and not what Shri Krishna does, still he was right in feeling, wrong in emoting and acting. Thus, he can feel bad, but then see the bigger picture also and act accordingly in the most logical way possible.
As per the previous Shlokas, if the body is accepted as something that keeps dying and getting born, still it is not a thing to be worried about or be repented upon. This is because something that has been born will die for sure and something that has been dead will be reborn for sure. Never in the same format, but in other formats, always.
There is no one who has the right or the authority or the power to change or alter anything in the cycle of birth and death because there is no one who can use any kind of external power upon this. This cycle of birth and rebirth has been ongoing for a million years and still, will go on till the end of time. Therefore, anyone grieving about the things that do not deserve any grieving is not doing the right thing.
Shri Krishna further mentions that these sons of Dhritrashtra have taken birth, so they will die, for sure. There is nothing that Arjun has, no trick up his sleeve, that will save them from this inevitable death. If they don’t die here on the battlefield, they will die otherwise. Also, if they don’t die, they won’t be reborn again to give happiness of offspring to someone who needs it. Thus, there is no use in grieving, rather not letting them die will be like taking away someone’s happiness, someone’s desires, someone’s destiny and that will be a sin.
Ramayan, the epic based upon Satyug, with Shri Ram and Shree Sita also says,
“Shok Usi Ka Kijiye, Jo Anhoni Hoye.
Anhoni Hoti Nahin, Honi Hai So Hoye.”
This literally translates to grieve only what is a disaster. Do not grieve what is not a disaster and there is nothing that happens that is a disaster. Everything that happens is pre-decided and thus, there is nothing to grieve about at all.
So if the Sun rises very high up in the sky, yet for it to be the most powerful source, it needs to come down and then rise up again the next day. When the most powerful source Sun has zero powers in stopping itself from setting down, then there is nothing that Arjun can do to stop the death of Bhishma, Drona, and the others from dying and thus, crying is not at all an option, that too over something that might happen earlier than when it was thought about of happening.
Shri Krishna basically did not technically resonate with this, yet he chose to say that even if this does not stand by me, if you want to understand this as such, then okay, let’s understand this as such only, yet, if you want, you can feel bad, but grieving and not doing anything after this is plain and simple useless and stupid.
Thus, the body that the soul leaves is supposed to be dead and the body that the soul enters is considered to be born, which means there will be a continuous transfer of the soul this has been going on for a long, and this will be going on for long and this will be going on forever, so this is like a flow that can never be stopped and thus, this can never be grieved upon.
Conclusion
If there is someone who dies, there is something that is getting over or is reaching its maximum utilization, and there is someone or something that will be over soon, it does not mean that there will be no other one like them or they are gone forever because everything has a designated life and thus, living with it, and being happy with it more important than thinking about the time it can lead to disasters. In Ramayan, when Bali, the evil monkey king, was shot dead by Shri Ra with his arrow to end the evilness, he said
“Tara Bikal Dekhi Raghuraya,
Deenhi Gyaan Hari Leenhi Maya.
Chiti Jal Paavak Gagan Sameera,
Pancha Rachit Ati Adham Sareera.
Pragat So Tanu Tav Aagen Sova,
Jeev Nitya Kehi Lagi Tumha Rova.
Upja Gyaan Charan Tab Laagi,
Leenhesi Param Bhagati Bar Maangi.”
This literally translates to thinking about it carefully. When in the past 84 lakh cycles of birth and death, there have been no bodies that have ever remained as is, then how will it stay in this one? The cause of eight four lakh cycles is that a soul can be reborn and die for 84 lakh cycles and thus, it handles the karma and dharma of these many years to avenge with or reward for. If the person just understands this, half of the trouble will be over with before it even starts.
That’s all for Shlok-27, Chapter 2 of Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta. We will see you tomorrow with Shlok-28, Chapter 2. Till then, enjoy.
