2.27
जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च | तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ||२७||
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya cha tasmād aparihārye'rthe na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi
Translation
For one who is born, death is certain; and for one who has died, birth is certain. Therefore, you should not grieve over the unavoidable.
Interpretation
Death is 'dhruva' — certain, fixed, inevitable — for all born beings. And after death, birth is equally certain. The cycle continues. What is inevitable ('aparihārye') should be faced with equanimity, not lamented. Grief does not change the inevitable; it only adds unnecessary suffering.