Chapter 2 Verse 16

 

Verse 16

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सत: |

उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभि: || 16||

Transliteration

nAsato vidyate bhAvo nAbhAvo vidyate sataH.

ubhayorapi drishtontastvanayostattvadarshibhiH.. 16 ..

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Word by word meaning:

न – not; असतः – (of the) temporary; विद्यते – there is ; न – not; अभावः – absence; भावः – existence; विद्यते – there is; सतः – (of the) permanent; उभयोः – (of the)two; अपि – also; दृष्टः – observed; अन्तः – difference; तु – indeed; अनयोः – of these; तत्त्व – essence; दर्शिभिः – (by the) seers;

Meaning:

The temporary does not existence, the permanent has no non-existence ; The seers of the essence observed the difference between these two.

Significance:

This is one of the most important verse in Bhagavad Gita. The words ‘sat’ and ‘asat’ are decoded in Indian philosphies according to the path their principles. Here we decode the word ‘sat’- as eternal and ‘asat’ – as temporary. The soul is sat and the body is asat. The soul is imperishable, the body is perishable. The word ‘asat’ should not be confused with ‘mitya’, which means unreal. This is termed as the basic knowledge requirement to proceed into the enquiry of Brahman.