Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 29

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन-
माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः ।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति
श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित् ॥

Transliteration

āścaryavatpaśyati kaścidenam āścaryavadvadati tathaiva cānyaḥ .
āścaryavaccainamanyaḥ śṛṇoti śrutvāpyenaṃ veda na caiva kaścit ॥

Meaning

Some look upon this Self as a wonder; another speaks of it as a wonder; another hears of it as a wonder; and even after hearing, no one truly knows it.

Word meanings

आश्चर्यवत् – as a wonder
पश्यति – sees
कश्चित् – someone
एनम् – this (Self)
आश्चर्यवत् – as a wonder
वदति – speaks
तथा एव च – and likewise
अन्यः – another
आश्चर्यवत् – as a wonder
च – and
एनम् – this
अन्यः – another
शृणोति – hears
श्रुत्वा – having heard
अपि – even
एनम् – this
वेद – knows
न च एव – not at all
कश्चित् – anyone

Anvaya (word order)

कश्चित् एनम् आश्चर्यवत् पश्यति, तथा एव च अन्यः (एनम्) आश्चर्यवत् वदति, अन्यः च एनम् आश्चर्यवत् शृणोति; श्रुत्वा अपि च कश्चित् एनं न एव वेद ।

Explanation

Having said so much about the Self, Krishna now acknowledges a humbling truth: the subject is utterly wondrous and rare. To see the Self, to speak of it, to hear of it — each is a marvel. And even after hearing, few truly know it.

Why is the Self a ‘wonder’? Because it is unlike anything in the world. It knows everything yet is never known as an object; it is everywhere yet never seen; it is the closest of all — our very ‘I’ — yet seems the farthest away. That which requires not eyes but a pure heart and a subtle intellect to perceive is truly a wonder.

Shankara reads ‘ashcharyavat’ in two ways: the Self itself is wondrous, and the one who knows it is also a wonder, for such a knower is one among thousands. The verse recalls the Katha Upanishad (1.2.7), which says that many do not even get to hear of the Self, and many who hear do not understand; wondrous is the one who teaches it, and rare the one who comes to know it.

‘Shrutvapy enam veda na chaiva kashchit’ — even having heard, no one knows it. This line shows that Self-knowledge does not come from reading and hearing alone. Hearing (shravana) must be followed by reflection (manana) and deep contemplation (nididhyasana), together with purity of mind.

The verse teaches Arjuna, and us, patience. If the truth of the Self is not grasped at once, there is no cause for despair. It is a truth that is absorbed gradually, through faith and practice.

Context

In 2.28 Krishna described the sequence of unmanifest, manifest and unmanifest. Here He acknowledges the rarity and wonder of Self-knowledge. In the next verse (2.30) He sums up and concludes the teaching on the Self.

Life lesson

Deep truths are not understood on a single hearing; they need repeated reflection and practice. If a spiritual teaching does not make sense immediately, keep contemplating it with patience and humility.

Key terms

Ashcharyavat: as a wonder, marvellously
Shravana-manana-nididhyasana: hearing, reflecting and contemplating — the three stages of Self-knowledge
Durlabha: rare, hard to attain