If Krishna Taught That Life and Death Are Cycles, Why Do We Fear the End?
Nidhi | Mar 20, 2025, 17:48 IST
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
This article examines the paradox of fearing death despite Krishna's teachings in the Bhagavad Gita, which describe life and death as continuous cycles. It explores the roots of this fear, considering the roles of ego, attachment, and the unknown. By reflecting on Krishna's wisdom, readers are invited to reconsider their perceptions of mortality and find peace in the eternal nature of the soul.
We’ve heard it before — Krishna teaches that life and death are not opposites but parts of an eternal cycle. The soul is eternal; it sheds bodies like old clothes and moves on. Death, according to the Bhagavad Gita, is not destruction but transformation.
Yet, why does the very idea of death tighten our chest and quicken our breath? If the soul is eternal, why does the thought of losing this body, this life, this identity fill us with dread?
The fear of death is not just about dying — it’s about losing control, letting go of attachments, and facing the unknown. It’s about grappling with the idea that everything we’ve known — our body, our mind, our relationships — might dissolve into nothingness.
But what if we’ve been looking at death through the wrong lens? What if Krishna’s teachings aren’t just about reassuring us that the soul survives death — but about helping us understand why we fear it in the first place?
Let’s dig deeper — not just into death, but into the human experience of fearing it.
We tend to confuse ourselves with our identities — our name, profession, achievements, and relationships. This is the work of the ego, which thrives on separation and definition. The ego craves permanence, but the body and mind are impermanent by nature.
Krishna, however, makes a distinction between the ego and the soul:
"न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।"
(The soul is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.20)
The soul, untouched by birth and death, doesn’t fear the end — but the ego does. Death feels threatening because it challenges the ego’s sense of control and existence. The mind resists what it cannot define — and death exists beyond the limits of thought and language.
The fear of death, then, isn’t about death itself — it’s about the ego’s resistance to dissolving. The soul, on the other hand, knows there’s nothing to lose.
We fear death because we’re attached — to people, to possessions, to the life we’ve built. The idea of losing it all feels unbearable because attachment gives us a sense of identity and meaning.
Krishna challenges this attachment, teaching that clinging to the fruits of our actions is futile:
"कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।"
(You have a right to perform your duties,
but never to the fruits of those actions.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.47)
Our sense of self is woven into what we own, who we love, and what we achieve. But death strips all of that away — which is why it feels so devastating. Yet, Krishna reminds us that the soul carries forward the essence of who we are — not our titles or possessions, but our karma and our dharma.
Letting go of attachment doesn’t mean detachment from love or life — it means releasing the need to define ourselves by what we own.
The human mind is wired for patterns and certainty. We find comfort in knowing what comes next — in making plans, setting goals, and anticipating outcomes. Death, however, defies all of that.
Krishna presents death not as a chaotic end but as part of a larger cosmic order:
"जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च।"
(For one who is born, death is certain,
and for one who has died, birth is certain.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.27)
The mind fears death because it cannot predict or control it. But the soul understands that uncertainty is not chaos — it’s the natural rhythm of existence. Accepting this uncertainty is not about passivity — it’s about surrendering to the flow of life itself.
The mind resists what it cannot map out — but the soul knows the path without needing to see it.
We spend our lives trying to control outcomes — securing jobs, building families, making investments. We tell ourselves that if we plan well enough, we can keep chaos at bay.
But death is the ultimate surrender — it reminds us that control is an illusion. Krishna teaches that the soul is beyond control because it’s not bound by physical reality:
"वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय
नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा
न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही॥"
(Just as a person discards worn-out clothes and puts on new ones,
so the soul discards old bodies and takes on new ones.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.22)
We cannot control death any more than we can control the setting of the sun — but perhaps that’s the point. Letting go of control might just be the gateway to peace.
Who am I without this body, this face, this life? Death confronts us with the possibility that everything we’ve identified with might vanish.
Krishna, however, reminds us that the true self is not tied to the body or the mind:
"अहमात्मा गुडाकेश सर्वभूताशयस्थितः।"
(I am the Self, seated in the heart of all beings.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 10.20)
The body and mind are temporary vehicles for the soul’s journey. What remains after death is not the “self” shaped by the world — but the eternal self that exists beyond form and time.
Krishna teaches that death is not destruction — it’s a return to source, to the cosmic order. Just as rivers flow into the ocean, the soul returns to its origin:
"ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः।"
(The soul is an eternal fragment of myself.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 15.7)
If we are fragments of the divine, then death is not separation — it’s reunion. The drop merges back into the ocean. The soul returns home.
Maybe the fear of death isn’t about the end — maybe it’s about the resistance to going home.
Krishna’s teachings are not about erasing fear — they’re about remembering. The fear of death fades not when we “solve” death — but when we remember that we are not this body, this mind, this name.
"अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम्।"
(That which pervades the entire body is indestructible.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.17)
We fear death because we’ve forgotten our true nature. Krishna’s message is not to seek immortality for the body — but to awaken the memory that we were never bound by mortality in the first place.
Krishna’s teachings don’t promise immortality for the body — they promise the eternity of the soul. Fear of death is not about death itself — it’s about attachment, uncertainty, and forgetting who we truly are.
If the soul is beyond destruction, if death is just a transition, and if we are not defined by our bodies — then maybe death is not the end we think it is.
Maybe it’s not about finding answers to what happens after we die — maybe it’s about trusting that life doesn’t end with death.
Maybe it’s not about holding on — maybe it’s about letting go.
Because if the soul is untouched by fire, wind, water, and time — what’s there to fear?
"Weapons cannot cut the soul, fire cannot burn it,
Water cannot wet it, and the wind cannot dry it."
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.23)
If the soul is indestructible — maybe the end isn’t really an end. Maybe it’s just the beginning.
Yet, why does the very idea of death tighten our chest and quicken our breath? If the soul is eternal, why does the thought of losing this body, this life, this identity fill us with dread?
The fear of death is not just about dying — it’s about losing control, letting go of attachments, and facing the unknown. It’s about grappling with the idea that everything we’ve known — our body, our mind, our relationships — might dissolve into nothingness.
But what if we’ve been looking at death through the wrong lens? What if Krishna’s teachings aren’t just about reassuring us that the soul survives death — but about helping us understand why we fear it in the first place?
Let’s dig deeper — not just into death, but into the human experience of fearing it.
1. The Ego Fears Its Own End — The Soul Does Not
Soul
( Image credit : Pexels )
Krishna, however, makes a distinction between the ego and the soul:
"न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।"
(The soul is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.20)
The soul, untouched by birth and death, doesn’t fear the end — but the ego does. Death feels threatening because it challenges the ego’s sense of control and existence. The mind resists what it cannot define — and death exists beyond the limits of thought and language.
The fear of death, then, isn’t about death itself — it’s about the ego’s resistance to dissolving. The soul, on the other hand, knows there’s nothing to lose.
2. Fear Stems from Attachment — But Attachment Is an Illusion
Attachment
( Image credit : Pexels )
Krishna challenges this attachment, teaching that clinging to the fruits of our actions is futile:
"कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।"
(You have a right to perform your duties,
but never to the fruits of those actions.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.47)
Our sense of self is woven into what we own, who we love, and what we achieve. But death strips all of that away — which is why it feels so devastating. Yet, Krishna reminds us that the soul carries forward the essence of who we are — not our titles or possessions, but our karma and our dharma.
Letting go of attachment doesn’t mean detachment from love or life — it means releasing the need to define ourselves by what we own.
3. The Mind Seeks Certainty — But Life (and Death) Are Rooted in Uncertainty
Success is Illusion
( Image credit : Pexels )
Krishna presents death not as a chaotic end but as part of a larger cosmic order:
"जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च।"
(For one who is born, death is certain,
and for one who has died, birth is certain.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.27)
The mind fears death because it cannot predict or control it. But the soul understands that uncertainty is not chaos — it’s the natural rhythm of existence. Accepting this uncertainty is not about passivity — it’s about surrendering to the flow of life itself.
The mind resists what it cannot map out — but the soul knows the path without needing to see it.
4. Death Challenges the Illusion of Control — And That’s Terrifying
Free Yourself
( Image credit : Pexels )
But death is the ultimate surrender — it reminds us that control is an illusion. Krishna teaches that the soul is beyond control because it’s not bound by physical reality:
"वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय
नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा
न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही॥"
(Just as a person discards worn-out clothes and puts on new ones,
so the soul discards old bodies and takes on new ones.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.22)
We cannot control death any more than we can control the setting of the sun — but perhaps that’s the point. Letting go of control might just be the gateway to peace.
5. The Fear of Losing “Self” Is Really the Fear of Losing Meaning
Krishna, however, reminds us that the true self is not tied to the body or the mind:
"अहमात्मा गुडाकेश सर्वभूताशयस्थितः।"
(I am the Self, seated in the heart of all beings.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 10.20)
The body and mind are temporary vehicles for the soul’s journey. What remains after death is not the “self” shaped by the world — but the eternal self that exists beyond form and time.
6. Death Is Not an End — It’s a Return
"ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः।"
(The soul is an eternal fragment of myself.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 15.7)
If we are fragments of the divine, then death is not separation — it’s reunion. The drop merges back into the ocean. The soul returns home.
Maybe the fear of death isn’t about the end — maybe it’s about the resistance to going home.
7. We Fear Death Because We’ve Forgotten Who We Are
Mahabharata
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
"अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम्।"
(That which pervades the entire body is indestructible.)
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.17)
We fear death because we’ve forgotten our true nature. Krishna’s message is not to seek immortality for the body — but to awaken the memory that we were never bound by mortality in the first place.
So, Why Fear What Cannot Touch You?
If the soul is beyond destruction, if death is just a transition, and if we are not defined by our bodies — then maybe death is not the end we think it is.
Maybe it’s not about finding answers to what happens after we die — maybe it’s about trusting that life doesn’t end with death.
Maybe it’s not about holding on — maybe it’s about letting go.
Because if the soul is untouched by fire, wind, water, and time — what’s there to fear?
"Weapons cannot cut the soul, fire cannot burn it,
Water cannot wet it, and the wind cannot dry it."
(Bhagavad Gita, 2.23)
If the soul is indestructible — maybe the end isn’t really an end. Maybe it’s just the beginning.