Bhagavad Gita BG 13.16
Chapter 13, Verse 16 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
बहिरन्तश्च भूतानाम् अचरं चरमेव च । सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत् ॥
bahir antash ca bhutanam acaram caram eva ca suksmatvat tad avijneyam dura-stham cantike ca tat
Meaning
It is outside and inside all beings, both the unmoving and the moving; because of its subtlety it cannot be comprehended; it is far away and it is near.
Understanding
Brahman's simultaneous omnipresence and incomprehensibility: bahir antash ca bhutanam (outside AND inside of all beings — not just internal). Acaram caram eva ca (the unmoving AND the moving — Brahman pervades both the static and the dynamic). Suksmatvat tad avijneyam (because of its subtlety it cannot be comprehended — not because it is absent but because it is too subtle for ordinary cognition). Durastham cantike ca tat (far away and near). Far: Brahman seems unreachable to the ignorant mind searching 'out there.' Near: for the one who turns within, it is the nearest possible — one's own Consciousness.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| बहिः अन्तः | bahir antah | outside and inside — simultaneously |
| अचरम् | acaram | unmoving, static (mountains, stones, etc.) |
| चरम् | caram | moving, dynamic (living beings) |
| सूक्ष्मत्वात् | suksmatvat | because of subtlety, due to its fineness |
| अविज्ञेयम् | avijneyam | incomprehensible, cannot be grasped (by ordinary mind) |
| दूरस्थम् | durastham | standing far, seemingly distant |
| बहिः | bahiḥ antaś ca | outside and inside |
| च | ca | and |
| भूतानाम् | bhūtānām | of beings |
| चरम् | caram eva ca | and also the moving |
| सूक्ष्मत्वात् | sūkṣmatvāt | because of subtlety |
| तत् | tad | that |
| अविज्ञेयम् | avijñeyam | unknowable, incomprehensible |
| दूर-स्थम् | dūra-stham | far away |
| च | ca antike ca tat | and also near |
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