Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 2, verse 22 · Krishna
Bhagavad Gita 2.22 · Vasamsi Jirnani
वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय
नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि ।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा-
न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ॥
vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
navāni gṛhṇāti naro’parāṇi |
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇā-
nyanyāni saṃyāti navāni dehī ||
Translation
As a person discards worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so the embodied Self discards worn-out bodies and enters new ones.
Explanation
The best-known image of rebirth in Hindu thought. The body is compared to clothing — necessary and useful, but not who we are.
Context
Spoken by Krishna in chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga — “The Yoga of Knowledge”, which has 72 verses.
Frequently asked questions
What does Bhagavad Gita 2.22 mean?
As a person discards worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so the embodied Self discards worn-out bodies and enters new ones.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 2.22?
Krishna, speaking to Arjuna, in chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Sanskrit text: traditional, public domain. Translation and explanation are our own.