I'm afraid of death
Five verses to read slowly, in this order.
- 2.20
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि
न्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin
It is not born, nor does it ever die; after having been, it again does not cease to be; unborn, eternal, changeless, and ancient, it is not killed when the body is killed.
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre - 2.22
वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय
नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा
न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ॥vāsānsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so too the embodied Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others that are new.
navāni gṛihṇāti naro ’parāṇi
tathā śharīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇānya
nyāni sanyāti navāni dehī - 2.27
जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च।
तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥jātasya hi dhruvo mṛityur dhruvaṁ janma mṛitasya cha
For the born, death is certain, and for the dead, birth is certain; therefore, you should not grieve over the inevitable.
tasmād aparihārye ’rthe na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi - 8.5
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्।
यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः ॥anta-kāle cha mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram
And whoever, leaving their body, goes forth remembering Me alone at the time of death, they will attain My Being; there is no doubt about this.
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāstyatra sanśhayaḥ - 8.6
यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम्।
तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajatyante kalevaram
Whoever at the end leaves the body, thinking of any being, to that being only does he go, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), due to his constant thought of that being.
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ