Topic

Reincarnation

3 verses from the Bhagavad Gita on reincarnation. Explore teachings across 3 chapters.

All Verses

Chapter 2 • Verse 22 →The Yoga of Knowledge
Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grhnati naro 'parani, tatha sharirani vihaya jirnany anyani samyati navani dehi

As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, at the time of death, the soul casts off its worn-out body and enters a new one.

  • •The soul is eternal, bodies are temporary
  • •Death is merely a transition
  • •Fear of death stems from ignorance
souldeatheternalbody
Chapter 4 • Verse 5 →The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation
Sri bhagavan uvaca: Bahuni me vyatitani janmani tava carjuna, tany aham veda sarvani na tvam vettha parantapa

Krishna replies: Both you and I have passed through many births. I remember them all, O Arjuna, but you do not remember yours.

  • •The Divine retains memory across all births
  • •Human forgetfulness of past lives is part of the veil of maya
  • •Transcendence of time is a hallmark of divine consciousness
divine memorymayapast livestime
Chapter 15 • Verse 8 →The Yoga of the Supreme Person
Shariram yad avapnoti yac capy utkramatishvarah, grhitvaitani samyati vayur gandhan ivashayat

As the wind carries aromas from their source, so the living entity, who is the lord of the body, carries the mind and senses from one body to another when it gives up one form and takes another. This verse illuminates the subtle mechanics of transmigration — the soul carries its accumulated mental and sensory impressions into the next life.

  • •The living entity carries its mind and senses from one body to another at death
  • •Transmigration is as natural and subtle as wind carrying fragrance
  • •The soul is the true master of the body, though conditioned by mind and senses
transmigrationsoulminddeath