Na Kanchit Shashvatam Meaning: न किञ्चित् शाश्वतम् in Hindi and English
न किञ्चित् शाश्वतम् (na kiñcit śāśvatam) means “nothing is permanent”. It is one of the most searched Sanskrit-style lines in India, on Buddha posters, phone wallpapers, Instagram bios and tattoos. Most people meet it written न कंचित् शाश्वतम् (“na kanchit shashvatam”), and that is how our own Buddha posters and skins print it too.
This page explains each word, which spelling is correct, and where the line really comes from. The honest answer surprises people.
Meaning in Hindi and English
English: Nothing is permanent. Joy and sorrow, success and loss, even this body: everything comes and goes. Holding on to any of it as if it will last is what makes us suffer, and seeing that it won't last is the beginning of peace.
Hindi: कुछ भी शाश्वत नहीं है। सुख-दुख, सफलता-असफलता, यह शरीर भी, सब आते-जाते रहते हैं। किसी भी चीज़ को सदा के लिए मानकर पकड़े रहना ही दुख देता है।
About the spelling. कञ्चित् (written कंचित् with a dot) means “someone” as the object of a sentence, so न कंचित् शाश्वतम् is grammatically off. The correct Sanskrit for “nothing is permanent” is न किञ्चित् शाश्वतम्, also written न किंचित् शाश्वतम्. Say it “na kin-chit shaash-va-tam”.
Where it comes from
The words are modern, but the idea is ancient. We looked for न किञ्चित् शाश्वतम् and न कंचित् शाश्वतम् in the Buddha's Pali texts and in Sanskrit scripture and found neither. It is a modern Sanskrit-style phrase. It isn't Pali either, the language the Buddha's teachings were kept in (Pali would say something like na kiñci sassataṃ).
What the Buddha actually taught is the same truth in his own words: “सब्बे सङ्खारा अनिच्चा” (sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā), “all conditioned things are impermanent” (Dhammapada 277). His last words, in the Digha Nikaya (DN 16), say it again: “वयधम्मा सङ्खारा अप्पमादेन सम्पादेथ”, all conditioned things pass away; strive on with care.
The Bhagavad Gita has the idea too. Krishna tells Arjuna that cold and heat, pleasure and pain are “आगमापायिनोऽनित्याः”: they come and go, they don't last, so bear them (Gita 2.14).
So the line is a fair summary of a real teaching. It just isn't a quotation.
The line on our products
For the Buddha's own words on anger, self-reliance and impermanence, in Pali with Hindi and English meaning, read Buddha quotes with meaning.
Questions people ask
What is the correct spelling of “na kanchit shashvatam”?
न किञ्चित् शाश्वतम् (na kiñcit śāśvatam), also written न किंचित् शाश्वतम्. The popular न कंचित् शाश्वतम् uses कंचित्, which means “someone”, so it doesn't quite say “nothing is permanent”.
What does na kanchit shashvatam mean in Hindi?
“कुछ भी शाश्वत नहीं है”: कुछ भी सदा के लिए नहीं रहता।
Is it a Buddha quote?
The idea is the Buddha's, but the words aren't. He taught “sabbe sankhara anicca”, all conditioned things are impermanent (Dhammapada 277). न किञ्चित् शाश्वतम् is a modern Sanskrit-style summary of that teaching.
Is it from the Bhagavad Gita?
No. The closest Gita verse is 2.14, where Krishna says pleasure and pain “come and go; they don't last”: आगमापायिनोऽनित्याः.
Can I use it as a DP, Instagram bio or WhatsApp status?
Yes. It is short enough for any bio or status. Many people pair it with the English: “न किञ्चित् शाश्वतम् · nothing is permanent”.
Is it a good tattoo?
It's a popular one. If you're getting it inked, use the correct न किञ्चित् शाश्वतम् and have the artist copy the Devanagari exactly. The half-letters (ञ्च) and the small stroke under the last letter of किञ्चित् and शाश्वतम् are part of the words.
How do you pronounce it?
na KIN-chit SHAASH-va-tam.