Bhagavad Gita 2.13 — Just as the Body Changes from Childhood to Old Age, the Soul Changes Bodies
देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा।
तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति॥ २.१३॥
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Just as the embodied soul passes in this body through childhood, youth and old age, in the same way it attains another body. The wise person is not deluded about this.
Transliteration (IAST)
Word Separation
The Sanskrit verse is separated into individual words (Padched) for easier study.
Word Meanings
| Line 1 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| dehinaḥ | of the embodied soul |
| asmin | in this |
| yathā | as, just as |
| dehe | in the body |
| kaumāram | childhood |
| yauvanam | youth |
| jarā | old age |
| Line 2 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| tathā | similarly, in the same way |
| dehāntaraprāptiḥ | attainment of another body |
| dhīraḥ | the wise, the steady-minded person |
| tatra | in that matter, regarding this |
| na | not |
| muhyati | is deluded, is bewildered |
| Line 1 | Line 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning | Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| dehinaḥ | of the embodied soul | tathā | similarly, in the same way |
| asmin | in this | dehāntaraprāptiḥ | attainment of another body |
| yathā | as, just as | dhīraḥ | the wise, the steady-minded person |
| dehe | in the body | tatra | in that matter, regarding this |
| kaumāram | childhood | na | not |
| yauvanam | youth | muhyati | is deluded, is bewildered |
| jarā | old age | ||
Detailed Meaning
Introduction
In this verse Lord Krishna gives the first concrete illustration of the eternal Self. He points to something Arjuna has experienced all his life: the body keeps changing through childhood, youth, and old age, yet the person remains the same. Death, He suggests, is only one more change of the same kind, and the wise are not bewildered by it.
Essence
The one who remains while the body changes
Lord Krishna begins with ordinary experience. The body of a child, the body of a young adult, and the body of an elderly person are physically very different. Almost every cell has changed, and yet each of us says, 'I was a child, I became a youth, and now I am growing old.' Something within us stays constant and recognises itself throughout these changes.
Dehī (the embodied one): The Gita uses this word for the Self that dwells in the body. The body is the dwelling, and the dehī is the resident. When the resident changes from one stage of life to another, nobody mourns the child who has become a youth. We understand it as growth.
Dehāntara-prāpti (attaining another body): Krishna proposes that the transition at death is of the same nature. The Self moves into another body just as it moved from childhood to youth. The analogy is not meant to make death trivial, but to show that it does not touch the identity of the one who passes through it.
The steadiness of the wise
Dhīra (the steady, discerning person): The verse says that the dhīra is not bewildered by this. The word describes one whose intelligence remains firm when circumstances change. Such a person has understood that the changing body is not the whole of who we are.
Na muhyati (is not deluded): The Sanskrit root muh is the same one that describes Arjuna's confusion. Krishna gently reminds him that his bewilderment is a matter of perspective, and perspective can change.
Message for Everyday Life (Accepting Change Without Losing Yourself)
We experience change constantly: ageing, new roles, ended friendships, relocation, and loss. Much of our anxiety comes from thinking that who we are will disappear when things change.
Look for what stays constant: Beneath your changing roles, appearance, and circumstances is an awareness that has witnessed every stage of your life.
Meet transitions as passages: Seeing change as movement from one stage to another, rather than as pure loss, can ease the fear that accompanies it.
The one who remains while the body changes
Lord Krishna begins with ordinary experience. The body of a child, the body of a young adult, and the body of an elderly person are physically very different. Almost every cell has changed, and yet each of us says, 'I was a child, I became a youth, and now I am growing old.' Something within us stays constant and recognises itself throughout these changes.
Dehī (the embodied one): The Gita uses this word for the Self that dwells in the body. The body is the dwelling, and the dehī is the resident. When the resident changes from one stage of life to another, nobody mourns the child who has become a youth. We understand it as growth.
Dehāntara-prāpti (attaining another body): Krishna proposes that the transition at death is of the same nature. The Self moves into another body just as it moved from childhood to youth. The analogy is not meant to make death trivial, but to show that it does not touch the identity of the one who passes through it.
The steadiness of the wise
Dhīra (the steady, discerning person): The verse says that the dhīra is not bewildered by this. The word describes one whose intelligence remains firm when circumstances change. Such a person has understood that the changing body is not the whole of who we are.
Na muhyati (is not deluded): The Sanskrit root muh is the same one that describes Arjuna's confusion. Krishna gently reminds him that his bewilderment is a matter of perspective, and perspective can change.
Message for Everyday Life (Accepting Change Without Losing Yourself)
We experience change constantly: ageing, new roles, ended friendships, relocation, and loss. Much of our anxiety comes from thinking that who we are will disappear when things change.
Look for what stays constant: Beneath your changing roles, appearance, and circumstances is an awareness that has witnessed every stage of your life.
Meet transitions as passages: Seeing change as movement from one stage to another, rather than as pure loss, can ease the fear that accompanies it.
Next Topic
Lord Krishna has shown that the Self passes through bodies just as it passes through the stages of life. Yet Arjuna still feels the sharp pain of separation and the sting of life's opposites. In the next verse the Lord explains how to deal with these contacts of the senses that produce cold and heat, pleasure and pain.
Hidden Messages In This Shloka
Reflect on this verse from different perspectives and see which deeper message opens up for you.
Wisdom Nuggets
You've already changed bodies many times; you are still you.
Every stage of life passes, and you stay the observer.
Maybe the end of a body is a doorway, not a wall.
The calm mind sees constancy within change.
Sorrow softens when change is understood.
What is known cannot frighten as much.
You are the traveler, not the vehicle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'dehī' (the embodied soul) mean in this verse?
Why does Krishna give the example of 'kaumāra, yauvana, jarā' (childhood, youth and old age)?
What is 'dehāntaraprāpti' (attainment of another body)?
Who is 'dhīra' (the wise, steady-minded person) here?
Does this verse mean we should not mourn at all?
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