Gita 04.09 – Attainment of Krishna is not rebirth, but release from rebirth
janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna (Bg 4.09)
Word-for-word:
janma — birth; karma — work; ca — also; me — of Mine; divyam — transcendental; evam — like this; yaḥ — anyone who; vetti — knows; tattvataḥ — in reality; tyaktvā — leaving aside; deham — this body; punaḥ — again; janma — birth; na — never; eti — does attain; mām — unto Me; eti — does attain; saḥ — he; arjuna — O Arjuna.
Translation:
One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
Explanation:
janma karma ca me divyam: My appearance and activities are divine (transcendental).
evaṁ yaḥ vetti tattvataḥ: One who knows this in truth,
tyaktvā deham punar janma: after leaving the body, does not take birth again
na eti mām eti saḥ arjuna: but comes to Me, O Arjuna.
There are many significant points in this verse. It is the first time in the Bhagavad Gita, Kṛṣṇa says, mām eti—such a person will attain Me. Kṛṣṇa has talked about an eternal destination once before, in Chapter 2, verse 2.51, where he mentions “padam gacchanti anāmayam”—they will attain that destination which is free from all misery. However, Kṛṣṇa did not specify what that anāmayam or destination free from misery is. However, that destination is indicated here by mām eti—they come to Me.
This coming to Kṛṣṇa is not merely about reaching a heavenly abode, which may be superior but is still a temporary material destination. This is indicated by the phrase punar janma naiti—there is no rebirth. This confirms that attaining Kṛṣṇa does not involve entering another cycle of birth, but rather marks liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
Even the attainment of the abodes of the devatās is temporary, as Kṛṣṇa will explain later in Chapter 7. In contrast, attaining Kṛṣṇa is an eternal achievement. Realizing this truth is essential for keeping our heart’s devotion steadily fixed on Him.
What do we need to do to attain this extraordinary liberation from rebirth—punar janma naiti mām eti? We must know in truth—vetti tattvataḥ. The use of the phrase “know in truth” implies that there is also knowing in untruth or in partial truth. Therefore, we must avoid such incomplete or pseudo knowledge. Instead, we should cultivate proper understanding.
What is that proper knowledge? Kṛṣṇa says: divyam. We need to understand Kṛṣṇa’s janma (appearance) and karma (activities) to be divya—transcendental.
The word divya indicates a higher truth—essentially, it means transcendental. The word “divine” can also be used, but “divine” is sometimes applied more broadly to refer to anything of a higher order, such as the activities of the devatās. Although, strictly speaking, “divine” refers to a connection with God, in contexts where demigods are also present, we sometimes find references to Indra’s celestial abode described as divine.
Thus, the word “celestial” generally refers to the heavenly realm, while “spiritual” or “transcendental” refers specifically to Kṛṣṇa’s abode. The word “divine” can apply to both—sometimes it refers to heavenly pleasures, and sometimes to spiritual happiness.
Either way, the important point here is that Kṛṣṇa is eternal, and we must understand Him to be eternal. Therefore, in this context, divya refers to the transcendental. Kṛṣṇa is eternal and transcendental, and we need to understand that His activities and appearance are not ordinary.
Why is Kṛṣṇa speaking about “janma karma ca me divyam?” Arjuna had asked Kṛṣṇa how He gave this knowledge to the Sun-god. In response to that question, Kṛṣṇa reveals this truth. He explains how both He and Arjuna have taken many births, but only He remembers them all. Kṛṣṇa further states that He is the controller of all living beings and that He appears by His own māyā. As a result, He is not controlled by māyā—rather, He is always beyond its influence.
Then He explains why He descends into this world, as described in verses 7 and 8. Now, in verse 9, He states that when He appears, His primary purpose is to uplift and enlighten people—helping them terminate their material existence by elevating them to spiritual existence. The essential price to attain this elevation is to understand that Kṛṣṇa’s appearance and activities are transcendental.
Kṛṣṇa essentially wants Arjuna to understand that His existence did not begin with His birth. If Arjuna thinks that Kṛṣṇa’s appearance is recent and that He is merely a contemporary, such an understanding is erroneous. Instead, the proper understanding is that Kṛṣṇa is eternal, and He descends into this world to elevate and liberate people, helping them attain Him. That is the purpose of Kṛṣṇa’s descent.
Kṛṣṇa also comes to restore dharma in this world, as mentioned in the previous verse. However, His ultimate purpose is to take us out of this material world altogether. Verses 8 and 9 are thus connected in an organic progression—Kṛṣṇa comes to establish order, and the purpose of that order is to help us transcend this world, which is always prone to disorder. To rise above this disorderly world, we need to gain a proper understanding of His transcendental position.
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes that even when Kṛṣṇa appeared in this world, He was no ordinary child. He manifested in a fully adorned, four-armed Viṣṇu form—dressed, ornamented, and effulgent. No ordinary child appears like that. Thus, Kṛṣṇa’s appearance was clearly divine, signifying that He always remains in a liberated position. Because He is eternally liberated, He possesses the power to liberate us as well—and He will do so if we turn to Him and offer our hearts to Him.
The next verse will explain what we need to do—what the understanding in tattvataḥ truly requires. However, this verse itself is highly significant because it highlights the glory of knowing Kṛṣṇa. It reveals, in a way most dramatically relevant to us, that Kṛṣṇa is not an ordinary person.
Understanding Kṛṣṇa’s extraordinariness brings extraordinary benefits—it liberates us. Why? Because when we understand Him tattvataḥ, in truth, that understanding naturally awakens love. We begin to appreciate how wonderful the Lord is—that His love for us is so great that He descends into this world to establish dharma and, ultimately, to deliver us by establishing that dharma.
How much more wonderful is the Lord who, although the supreme order-giver of all beings, subordinates His divinity for the sake of intimacy with His devotees. He carries out the orders of His parents simply to reciprocate their love.
How wonderful is this Lord, who loves both conditioned souls and liberated souls so selflessly? His selflessness in loving the conditioned souls is shown by His repeated descents into this world, even when those souls neglect or reject Him. His selflessness in loving the liberated souls is revealed in how He subordinates His supreme position to allow for a sweet, uninhibited exchange of love between Himself and His devotees.
When we understand how loving the Lord is, we naturally feel inspired to reciprocate and redirect our love towards Him. By doing so, we attain a state of existence where we can both love Him and relish His love eternally. This redirection of our heart naturally takes us back to Him. In this way, when we know Kṛṣṇa in truth, we develop love for Him. And when Kṛṣṇa sees that we love Him, He naturally takes us to a place where we can continue loving Him forever.
Thank you.
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