Skip to main content
GyanGitaBhagavad Gita · simply
Illustration for chapter 2: Who you really are

Chapter 2 of 18 · 72 verses · 24 min

Bhagavad Gita chapter 2: Who you really are

Krishna’s first answer: you are not your fear. The deepest self is never born and never dies.

Start reading Sankhya Yoga · सांख्ययोग

Arjuna asks for help, and Krishna starts teaching. This chapter is the whole Gita in miniature. First, the deepest layer of you — awareness itself — is never born and never dies, so grief about death misses the bigger picture. Second, the practical method: do your work fully, but let go of obsessing over the outcome. Third, a portrait of a person whose mind is steady — calm in success and failure, not pushed around by cravings. Many readers find everything they need in this one chapter.

The line to remember · 2.47“You have a right to your actions, never to their results.”

All 72 verses — tap any one to read it

  1. 2.1Arjuna is crying. Krishna starts to talk to him.
  2. 2.2“Why are you giving up now? This isn’t like you.”
  3. 2.3“Don’t let fear win. Stand up.”
  4. 2.4“How can I fight people I love and respect?”
  5. 2.5“I’d rather beg for food than hurt my teachers.”
  6. 2.6“I don’t even know if winning or losing is worse.”
  7. 2.7“I’m confused. I don’t know what’s right. Please teach me.” — Asking for help is the first step.
  8. 2.8“Nothing in the world can take this sadness away.”
  9. 2.9Arjuna says, “I won’t fight,” and goes quiet.
  10. 2.10Krishna smiles gently and begins to help his sad friend.
  11. 2.11“You’re sad about something that doesn’t need sadness. The real you never dies.”
  12. 2.12“You, me and everyone here always were — and always will be.”
  13. 2.13“You were a baby, then a child, then grown up — but still you. After this body, you go on.”
  14. 2.14“Good times and bad times come and go, like hot and cold weather. Be patient.”
  15. 2.15“If you stay calm in good and bad times, you become truly free.”
  16. 2.16“Things that change don’t last. The real you never stops being.”
  17. 2.17“The life inside everything can never be destroyed.”
  18. 2.18“Bodies end, but the real you lives on. So do what you need to do.”
  19. 2.19“The real you can’t kill and can’t be killed.”
  20. 2.20“The real you was never born and will never die.”
  21. 2.21“If you know you can never be destroyed, what is there to fear?”
  22. 2.22“Like changing old clothes for new ones, the soul moves to a new body.”
  23. 2.23“No sword can cut you, no fire can burn you, no water can wet you.”
  24. 2.24“The real you can’t be broken. It is everywhere, and it never changes.”
  25. 2.25“You can’t see it, but it’s always there. So don’t be sad.”
  26. 2.26“Even if you think life just begins and ends, don’t grieve so much.”
  27. 2.27“What is born will end, and what ends will begin again. Don’t fight what must happen.”
  28. 2.28“We come from the unseen and go back to the unseen. Why cry over it?”
  29. 2.29“The soul is a wonder. Many hear about it, but few really understand.”
  30. 2.30“The soul inside everyone can never be hurt. So don’t grieve.”
  31. 2.31“Your job is to protect what is right. That is the best thing you can do.”
  32. 2.32“A chance to stand up for good is a gift. Take it.”
  33. 2.33“If you run away from your duty, you lose your good name.”
  34. 2.34“People will talk about it for a long time.”
  35. 2.35“Brave warriors will think you were scared.”
  36. 2.36“Your enemies will make fun of you. That would hurt more.”
  37. 2.37“Whatever happens, you win something. So stand up and do it.”
  38. 2.38“Treat winning and losing the same. Then just do your best.”
  39. 2.39“Now let me teach you how to live this in everyday life.”
  40. 2.40“No good effort is ever wasted. Even a little helps a lot.”
  41. 2.41“A focused mind moves forward. A scattered mind gets lost.”
  42. 2.42“Some people only talk about rituals and rewards.”
  43. 2.43“Their minds are full of wants. They think getting more is everything.”
  44. 2.44“Chasing pleasure and power never gives you a calm mind.”
  45. 2.45“Rise above ups and downs. Stay centred in yourself.”
  46. 2.46“When you know the truth, you don’t need many books.”
  47. 2.47“Do your best. Don’t worry about what you get back.” — the most famous line of the Gita.
  48. 2.48“Work calmly. Stay the same in success and failure. That is yoga.”
  49. 2.49“Working only for rewards makes people unhappy. Work with wisdom.”
  50. 2.50“Yoga means doing things well, without worry.”
  51. 2.51“Wise people let go of rewards — and become free from suffering.”
  52. 2.52“When your mind clears, you stop needing everyone’s opinions.”
  53. 2.53“When your mind rests in peace, you have found yoga.”
  54. 2.54Arjuna asks: “What is a calm, wise person like?”
  55. 2.55“They don’t crave things. They are happy inside.”
  56. 2.56“Sad times don’t crush them. They aren’t ruled by fear or anger.”
  57. 2.57“They don’t cling. Good news doesn’t make them wild; bad news doesn’t break them.”
  58. 2.58“Like a turtle pulling in its legs, they can pull their mind away from distractions.”
  59. 2.59“Wanting goes away when you find something better inside.”
  60. 2.60“Our senses are strong. They can pull even wise people off track.”
  61. 2.61“So gently guide your senses, and keep your heart on God.”
  62. 2.62“Thinking about something too much makes you want it. Wanting it too much makes you angry.” — How anger grows.
  63. 2.63“Anger makes you confused. Confusion makes you forget what’s right. Then you fall.”
  64. 2.64“Someone who isn’t pushed around by likes and dislikes finds peace.”
  65. 2.65“With peace, sadness goes away and your mind becomes clear.”
  66. 2.66“No calm, no peace. No peace, no happiness.”
  67. 2.67“A mind that follows every wish is like a boat blown by the wind.”
  68. 2.68“When you guide your senses, your mind stays steady.”
  69. 2.69“Wise people are awake to what really matters.”
  70. 2.70“Be like the ocean: rivers pour in, but it stays calm.”
  71. 2.71“Let go of ‘me and mine’, and you will find peace.”
  72. 2.72“This is the peace of God. Once you find it, you are never lost again.”

Traditional summary

Sankhya Yoga: Transcendental Knowledge

The second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is Sankhya Yoga. This is the most important chapter of the Bhagavad Gita as Lord Krishna condenses the teachings of the entire Gita in this chapter. This chapter is the essence of the entire Gita. Sankhya Yoga can be categorized into 4 main topics - 1. Arjuna completely surrenders himself to Lord Krishna and accepts his position as a disciple and Krishna as his Guru. He requests Krishna to guide him on how to dismiss his sorrow. 2. Explanation of the main cause of all grief, which is ignorance of the true nature of Self. 3. Karma Yoga - the discipline of selfless action without being attached to its fruits. 4. Description of a Perfect Man - One whose mind is steady and one-pointed.

Where to next?