Today's Goal
By the end of today, you will be able to perform a complete analysis of a Gita verse — reading the Devanagari, splitting sandhi, identifying cases and verb forms, and arriving at the meaning through your own understanding of the Sanskrit.
The Verse: BG 2.20
This verse describes the ātman (Self) as eternal and unchanging. Krishna uses six verbs to say what the Self does NOT do. It's one of the most philosophically important verses in the Gita.
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः | na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ | It is not born, nor does it ever die; having come to be, it will not come to be again |
| अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे | ajo nityaḥ śāśvato'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre | Unborn, eternal, everlasting, primeval — it is not slain when the body is slain |
Line 1a: न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचित्
Word-by-word analysis of the first quarter.
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| न | na | not — the particle of negation |
| जायते | jāyate | is born — from √jan (to be born), present middle voice, 3rd sg. |
| म्रियते | mriyate | dies — from √mṛ (to die), present middle voice, 3rd sg. |
| वा | vā | or — connecting the two verbs |
| कदाचित् | kadācit | ever, at any time — kada (when) + cit (ever) |
Line 1b: नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः
Sandhi note: नायं = न + अयम् (na + ayam, 'not this one'). The a+a→ā vowel sandhi rule!
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| न + अयम् → नायम् | na + ayam → nāyam | not + this one — vowel sandhi: a + a → ā |
| भूत्वा | bhūtvā | having become — absolutive (gerund) of √bhū: 'after becoming' |
| भविता | bhavitā | will become — future participle of √bhū |
| भूयः | bhūyaḥ | again — adverb |
Line 2a: अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणः
A string of adjectives describing the ātman. Sandhi note: शाश्वतोऽयं = शाश्वतः + अयम् (aḥ + a → o + avagraha).
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| अजः | ajaḥ | unborn — a (not) + ja (born). Nominative case: describes the subject |
| नित्यः | nityaḥ | eternal, constant — nominative singular |
| शाश्वतः | śāśvataḥ | everlasting, perpetual — nominative singular |
| अयम् | ayam | this (one) — demonstrative pronoun, nominative |
| पुराणः | purāṇaḥ | ancient, primeval — nominative singular |
Line 2b: न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे
The grand conclusion — even when the body is slain, the Self is not slain.
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| न हन्यते | na hanyate | is not slain — from √han (to kill), passive voice: 'is killed' |
| हन्यमाने | hanyamāne | when being slain — present passive participle, locative case: 'when X is being killed' |
| शरीरे | śarīre | body — locative case (-e ending): 'in/when the body' |
Grammar Summary
Skills you used to read this verse: Devanagari reading (Week 1), sandhi splitting (na+ayam→nāyam, śāśvataḥ+ayam→śāśvato'yam), case identification (nominative -aḥ for adjectives, locative -e for 'when/in'), verb recognition (-te endings), and vocabulary (na, vā, ca). Everything connects.
Gītā Connection
BG 2.20 is one of the Gita's philosophical cornerstones. Krishna is teaching Arjuna that the true Self (ātman) cannot be destroyed. The verse uses 6 forms of 'not' — na jāyate (not born), na mriyate (not dying), na bhavitā (will not become again), ajaḥ (unborn), na hanyate (not slain). This relentless negation is a powerful rhetorical technique: defining the infinite by what it is NOT.
Practice
Read the full verse aloud in Devanagari, syllable by syllable. Then read it again more fluidly.
- न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचित्
- नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः
- अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो
- न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे
Without looking at the analysis above, identify the sandhi in these forms and split them.
- नायम् → न + अयम् (a + a → ā)
- शाश्वतोऽयम् → शाश्वतः + अयम् (aḥ + a → o with avagraha)
- कदाचित् → कदा + चित् (when + ever)
Identify the grammatical form of each word.
- जायते → verb, present middle, 3rd singular (is born)
- अजः → adjective, nominative singular (unborn)
- शरीरे → noun, locative singular (in/when the body)
- हन्यमाने → participle, passive, locative (when being slain)
- भूत्वा → absolutive/gerund (having become)
Recap
You just performed a complete analysis of BG 2.20 — one of the most important verses in the Gita. You read Devanagari, split sandhi, identified case endings and verb forms, and understood the meaning directly from the Sanskrit. Every skill from the past 13 days came together.
Coming Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the final day — your graduation challenge. You'll read three of the Gita's most famous verses independently: the garment metaphor (2.22), the divine descent (4.7), and the ultimate surrender (18.66). You're ready.