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Bhagavad Gita 2.12

Krishna says that he, Arjuna and all the kings have always existed and always will.

न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः।
न चैव न भविष्यामः सर्वे वयमतः परम्॥

na tv evāhaṃ jātu nāsaṃ na tvaṃ neme janādhipāḥ
na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayam ataḥ param

Translation

"There was never a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor any of these kings. And there will never be a time after this when any of us ceases to be."

Hindi

"ऐसा कभी नहीं था कि मैं न रहा होऊँ, या तुम न रहे हो, या ये राजा न रहे हों। और इसके बाद भी ऐसा कभी नहीं होगा कि हम सब न रहें।"

Commentary

This is the first statement in the Gita about the lasting reality of the self (atman). Krishna includes himself, Arjuna and every king on the field, so the claim is about each individual and not about a single universal soul alone. The idea is given an image in 2.13.

Characters in this verse

Key concepts