BG 2.20
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः ।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
Word-for-word meanings
ayam — this [the self]; na kadācit — never; jāyate — takes birth; vā — or; mriyate — dies; bhūtvā vā — or having come into being; na bhavitā — it will not become; bhūyaḥ — again; ayam — this [the self]; ajaḥ — [is] birthless; nityaḥ — eternal; śāśvataḥ — changeless; purāṇaḥ — [and] primordial; hanyamāne — on the destruction; śarīre — of the body; na hanyate — [the self] is not killed.
Translation
The self never takes birth, nor does it die, nor having once come into being will it ever be subject to further becoming. It is birthless, eternal, changeless, and primordial. It is not killed when the body is killed.