Bhagavad Gita 8.19

Verse 19

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

Transliteration

bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate rātry-āgame 'vaśaḥ pārtha prabhavaty ahar-āgame

Synonyms

bhūta-grāmaḥ—the multitude of beings; saḥ—that; eva—certainly; ayam—this; bhūtvā bhūtvā—arising again and again; pralīyate—is dissolved; rātri-āgame—at the onset of night; avaśaḥ—helplessly; pārtha—O son of Pritha; prabhavati—comes forth; ahaḥ-āgame—at the onset of day.

Translation

This same multitude of beings, arising again and again, is helplessly dissolved at the coming of night, O son of Pritha, and comes forth again at the coming of day.

Multi-Tradition Commentary

Swami Sivananda

The word 'avaśaḥ' (helplessly, without choice) is significant. The multitude of beings does not choose to be born or to dissolve—they are carried by the cosmic tide of Brahma's day and night. This helplessness is a pointer: liberation means stepping outside the cycle that governs all conditioned beings.

Practical Application (Modern Life)

Recognise the patterns in your own life that seem to repeat despite your intentions—the same emotional patterns, the same relational dynamics, the same mental loops. These are your personal version of 'bhūtvā bhūtvā' (arising again and again). The path of self-knowledge is the path out of mechanical repetition.

Chapter Content

View all shlokas in Chapter 8

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