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Bhagavad Gita 2.16

Chapter 2, Verse 16

Part of 2: Sānkhya Yogसांख्ययोग

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः। उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः॥

Transliteration

nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ ubhayorapi dṛiṣhṭo ’nta stvanayos tattva-darśhibhiḥ

Meaning

The unreal has no being; there is no non-being of the real; the truth about both has been seen by the knowers of the truth (or the seers of the essence).

Word-by-word meaning
nanoasataḥof the temporaryvidyatethere isbhāvaḥisnanoabhāvaḥcessationvidyateissataḥof the eternalubhayoḥof the twoapialsodṛiṣhṭaḥobservedantaḥconclusiontuverilyanayoḥof thesetattvaof the truthdarśhibhiḥby the seers
Commentary

-- The changeless, homogeneous Atman or the Self always exists. It is the only solid Reality. This phenomenal world of names and forms is ever changing. Hence it is unreal. The sage or the Jivanmukta is fully aware that the Self always exists and that this world is like a mirage. Through his Jnanachakshus or the eye of intuition, he directly cognises the Self. This world vanishes for him like the snake in the rope, after it has been seen that only the rope exists. He rejects the names and forms and takes the underlying Essence in all the names and forms, viz.? AstiBhatiPriya or Satchidananda or ExistenceKnowledgeBliss Absolute. Hence he is a Tattvadarshi or a knower of the Truth or the Essence. What is changing must be unreal. What is constant or permanent must be real.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the meaning of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 16?
The unreal has no being; there is no non-being of the real; the truth about both has been seen by the knowers of the truth (or the seers of the essence).
Which chapter and verse of the Bhagavad Gita is this?
This is verse 16 of Chapter 2 (Sānkhya Yog — Transcendental Knowledge) of the Bhagavad Gita, a scripture of 18 chapters and 700 verses spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna.