Bhagavad Gita BG 13.13
Chapter 13, Verse 13 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
ज्ञेयं यत्तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वामृतमश्नुते । अनादिमत्परं ब्रह्म न सत्तन्नासदुच्यते ॥
jneyam yat tat pravakshyami yaj jnatva 'mrtam ashnute anadiman mat param brahma na sat tan nasad ucyate
Meaning
I shall declare that which is to be known, knowing which one attains immortality. The supreme Brahman, beginningless, is said to be neither being (sat) nor non-being (asat).
Understanding
The jneya (object of knowledge) is now declared: jnatva amrtam ashnute (knowing which, one attains immortality). Anadiman mat param brahma (the supreme Brahman, beginningless — beyond Me, the highest). The radical description: na sat tan na asad ucyate (it is said to be neither sat/being nor asat/non-being). Brahman transcends the sat-asat polarity — it is neither 'something that exists' (in the contingent sense) nor 'nothing.' It is the ground of both being and non-being. This is one of the most precise descriptions of the Absolute in the Gita.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ज्ञेयम् | jneyam | that which is to be known, the object of knowledge |
| अमृतम् | amrtam | immortality, the deathless state |
| अनादिमत् | anadiman | beginningless, without origin |
| सत् | sat | being, existence, the real |
| असत् | asat | non-being, non-existence, the unreal |
| ज्ञेयम् | jñeyam | the knowable |
| यत् | yat tat | which that |
| प्रवक्ष्यामि | pravakṣyāmi | I shall declare |
| यज् | yaj jñātvā | knowing which |
| अमृतम् | amṛtam | immortality |
| अश्नुते | aśnute | one attains |
| अनादिमान् | anādimān | the beginningless |
| मत्-परम् | mat-param | subordinate to Me |
| ब्रह्म | brahma | Brahman, the Absolute |
| न | na | neither |
| तत् | tat | that |
| न | na | nor |
| उच्यते | ucyate | is called |