Under the BanyanOld stories, illustrated and annotated

Bhagavad Gita 2.22

Chapter 2, verse 22

Meaning

A person takes off clothes that have worn out and puts on new ones. In the same way, the self that lives in a body lets go of a worn-out body and moves on into a new one.

The Sanskrit

वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय
नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि ।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा-
न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ॥ २२ ॥

vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya / navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny / anyāni saṃyāti navāni dehī

Say it

vaa-saam-si jeer-naa-ni yuh-thaa vi-haa-yuh
nuh-vaa-ni grih-naa-ti nuh-ro 'puh-raa-ni
tuh-thaa shuh-ree-raa-ni vi-haa-yuh jeer-naa
nyun-yaa-ni sum-yaa-ti nuh-vaa-ni day-hee

Word by word

vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni
worn-out clothes
yathā vihāya
just as, having cast off
navāni gṛhṇāti
takes up new ones
naraḥ aparāṇi
a person, other (clothes)
tathā
in the same way
śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāni
having cast off worn-out bodies
anyāni saṃyāti navāni
goes on to other, new ones
dehī
the embodied one, the self in the body
Read it in context: verses 2.21–24Old clothes, new clothesWith the story so far, commentary, and today's lesson: Separate the clothes from the wearer

Another translation and audio recitation: verse 2.22 on holy-bhagavad-gita.org.