Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 16

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ।
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥

Transliteration

nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ .
ubhayorapi dṛṣṭo.antastvanayostattvadarśibhiḥ ॥

Meaning

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

Word meanings

न – not
असतः – of the unreal, the impermanent
विद्यते – there is
भावः – being, existence
न – not
अभावः – non-existence, ceasing to be
विद्यते – there is
सतः – of the real, the eternal
उभयोः – of both
अपि – indeed
दृष्टः – has been seen
अन्तः – the conclusion, final truth
तु – but
अनयोः – of these two
तत्त्वदर्शिभिः – by the seers of truth

Anvaya (word order)

असतः भावः न विद्यते; सतः अभावः न विद्यते । तत्त्वदर्शिभिः तु अनयोः उभयोः अपि अन्तः दृष्टः ।

Explanation

This is one of the most profound philosophical verses of the Gita. So far Krishna has argued from experience and example; now He states a fundamental principle: ‘nasato vidyate bhavo nabhavo vidyate satah’ — the unreal has no real being, and the real never ceases to be. It is a cornerstone of Vedanta.

To grasp it we must understand ‘sat’ and ‘asat’. Sat is that which exists always, in all three times, without change. Asat is that which comes and goes, changes, and whose existence depends on something else. The body, pleasure and pain, heat and cold — all these are asat, for they change and pass away. The Self is sat, for it always is and never changes.

Shankara explains this with the example of clay and pot. The pot is made and broken, but the clay remains. The pot's existence rests on the clay: there is no pot without clay, but there is clay without the pot. In the same way, the changing world rests upon a reality that is the supreme truth. Ramanuja reads the verse a little differently: ‘asat’ means inert things like the body, perishable by nature, and ‘sat’ means the Self, imperishable by nature — both real, but of different natures. Madhva likewise stresses the eternity of the individual soul.

‘Tattva-darshibhih’ — by the seers of truth — tells us that this is not mere speculation but truth realised by the sages. They have seen the ‘anta’, the final verdict, regarding both.

For Arjuna the practical meaning is clear: what perishes (the body) was never permanent anyway, and what is real (the Self) cannot be destroyed by anyone. Therefore grief has no ground.

In life the verse teaches us to rest our identity and security on what is lasting rather than on what is fleeting. Then life's uncertainties lose their power to frighten us.

Context

In 2.15 Krishna said that one even-minded in pleasure and pain attains immortality. Here He gives the philosophical basis — the distinction between real and unreal. In the next verse (2.17) He describes that imperishable reality which pervades all.

Life lesson

Do not build your whole identity on what changes and fades. Recognise the abiding truth within you that never perishes — it is the source of true fearlessness and peace.

Key terms

Sat: the real; what always is, unchanging and eternal
Asat: the unreal; what changes and passes away
Tattva-darshi: a seer who directly knows the nature of truth