Bhagavad Gita · Sankhya YogaChapter 2, Shloka 16 (2.16)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः
॥ 2.16 ॥
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayorapi dṛṣṭo'ntastvanayostattvadarśibhiḥ
Translation
"The unreal has no (lasting) existence, and the real never ceases to be. Those who see the truth have seen this final conclusion about both."
Interpretation
One of the deepest shlokas of the Gita. Two sentences — and a whole philosophy:
- Nāsato vidyate bhāvaḥ — what is unreal has no true existence.
- Nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ — what is real never ceases to be.
In Arjuna's context: what you are weeping for (the body) — never had a lasting existence; and what truly is (the self) — cannot be destroyed at all. Either way, no reason for grief remains.
"Sat" and "asat" — what are they? It is here that the traditions differ most. But in summary: what changes, what keeps coming into being and passing away — falls in the category of asat; what never changes — is sat.
"Tattva-darśibhiḥ" — those who see the truth. This knowledge is described as a matter of seeing (direct experience) more than of reasoning. It will come again in 4.34 — "the wise who have seen the truth will teach you knowledge".
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.