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Bhagavad Gita 2.16

Chapter 2 · Sankhya YogaSpeaker: Shri KrishnaListener: Arjuna
Edited by the SanatanBodh editorial teamLast updated: 2 sourcesDrafted with AI, checked against sourcesReport a mistake

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ।
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥ १६ ॥

nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayorapi dṛṣṭo'ntastvanayostattvadarśibhiḥ

Word by word

न असतः विद्यते भावःthe unreal (perishable) has no existence
न अभावः विद्यते सतःthe real (eternal) never ceases to be
उभयोः अपिof both
दृष्टः अन्तःthe conclusion has been seen
तु अनयोःbut, of these two
तत्त्वदर्शिभिःby the seers of truth

Translation

ENGLISH

The unreal has no being, and the real never ceases to be. The seers of truth have discerned the nature of both.

हिंदी

असत् का अस्तित्व नहीं होता और सत् का अभाव नहीं होता। तत्व को जानने वालों ने इन दोनों का यह निर्णय देखा है।

Explanation

One of the most philosophical principles of the Gita. What changes and perishes (the body, pleasure and pain) is "asat", the unreal; what never perishes (the Self) is "sat", the real. The wise recognise the difference between the two, and so they do not grieve for things that change.

How this verse connects

SpeakerShri KrishnaListenerArjunaConceptAtmanTextMahabharata, Bhishma Parva

Frequently asked questions

What does "नासतो विद्यते भावो" (nāsato vidyate bhāvo) mean?

Bhagavad Gita 2.16: the unreal (perishable) has no true existence, and the real (eternal) never ceases to be.

Sources

  1. Original text: Bhagavad Gita (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva)
  2. English and Hindi translation, explanation: SanatanBodh editorial team

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