Rebirth

One who truly understands my divine birth and action in this way is not reborn on leaving the body, but comes to me, Arjuna.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यमेवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः | त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर्जन्म नैति मामेति सोऽर्जुन ||४-९||

The Blessed Lord said: Many births have passed for me, and for you as well, Arjuna. I know them all, but you do not, scorcher of the foe.

श्रीभगवानुवाच | बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन | तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप ||४-५||

Just as a person casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so the embodied self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others that are new.

वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि | तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा- न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ||२-२२||

Just as the embodied self passes through childhood, youth, and old age in this body, so it passes into another body. The wise are not deluded by this.

देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा | तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति ||२-१३||

One who broods on desires, longing for them, is born again here and there through those desires. But for one whose desires are fulfilled, whose Self is realized, all desires dissolve here itself.

कामान् यः कामयते मन्यमानः स कामभिर्जायते तत्र तत्र । पर्याप्तकामस्य कृतात्मनस्तु इहैव सर्वे प्रविलीयन्ति कामाः ॥ २॥

Whoever thus knows Purusha and Prakriti together with the gunas — however he lives, he is not born again.

य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैः सह | सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते ||१३-२४||

All worlds, up to the realm of Brahmā, are subject to return, Arjuna; but on reaching me, son of Kunti, there is no rebirth.

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन | मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ||८-१६||

Having come to me, these great souls, who have attained the highest perfection, are no longer subject to rebirth — that impermanent abode of suffering.

मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम् | नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ||८-१५||

Dwelling in ignorance in many ways, the childish think, 'We have accomplished our aim.' Because those attached to works do not understand, through attachment they suffer and fall when their worlds are exhausted.

अविद्यायां बहुधा वर्तमाना वयं कृतार्था इत्यभिमन्यन्ति बालाः । यत्कर्मिणो न प्रवेदयन्ति रागा- त्तेनातुराः क्षीणलोकाश्च्यवन्ते ॥ ९॥

Fragile indeed are these boats of sacrifice, in which are told the eighteen lower forms of ritual. The fools who welcome this as the highest good go again to old age and death.

प्लवा ह्येते अदृढा यज्ञरूपा अष्टादशोक्तमवरं येषु कर्म । एतच्छ्रेयो येऽभिनन्दन्ति मूढा जरामृत्युं ते पुनरेवापि यन्ति ॥ ७॥

When the lord of the body acquires a body, and also when it departs from one, it takes these and moves on, as the wind carries scents from their sources.

शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः | गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात् ||१५-८||

For Purusha, seated in Prakriti, experiences the gunas born of Prakriti; attachment to the gunas is the cause of his births in good and evil wombs.

पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान् | कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु ||१३-२२||

People who have no faith in this dharma, scorcher of foes, fail to reach me and return to the path of death and rebirth.

अश्रद्दधानाः पुरुषा धर्मस्यास्य परन्तप | अप्राप्य मां निवर्तन्ते मृत्युसंसारवर्त्मनि ||९-३||

The Self is to be regarded as one alone in waking, dream, and deep sleep. For one who has gone beyond the three states, there is no rebirth.

एक एवात्मा मन्तव्यो जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तिषु । स्थानत्रयाद्व्यतीतस्य पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते

Those established in sattva go upward; the rajasic remain in the middle; those settled in the disposition of the lowest guna go downward.

ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः | जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ||१४-१८||

This same multitude of beings, coming into existence again and again, is helplessly dissolved at the coming of night, Arjuna, and comes forth again at the coming of day.

भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते | रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ||८-१९||

There that person regains the union with the understanding gained in the former body, and strives all the more for perfection, Arjuna.

तत्र तं बुद्धिसंयोगं लभते पौर्वदेहिकम् | यतते च ततो भूयः संसिद्धौ कुरुनन्दन ||६-४३||

Or else such a person is born into a family of wise yogis; but a birth like this is very hard to obtain in this world.

अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम् | एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम् ||६-४२||

Having attained the worlds of those who do righteous deeds and dwelt there for countless years, the one fallen from yoga is reborn in the home of the pure and the prosperous.

प्राप्य पुण्यकृतां लोकानुषित्वा शाश्वतीः समाः | शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते ||६-४१||