Bhagavad Gita BG 2.16
Chapter 2, Verse 16 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः । उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥ १६ ॥
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ ubhayor api dṛṣṭo 'ntas tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ
Meaning
The non-existent (the unreal) has no being; the existent (the real) has no non-being. Those who are seers of truth have seen the conclusion of both.
Understanding
One of the most philosophically dense verses of the Gita, introducing the Sankhya distinction between 'sat' (the real, the eternal) and 'asat' (the unreal, the temporary). The material body is 'asat' — it has no permanent being. The soul is 'sat' — it cannot cease to be. 'Tattva-darśibhiḥ' — seers of truth — are those who have directly perceived this distinction. This verse underpins all that follows: if you know what is real and what is unreal, grief dissolves.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| असतः | asataḥ | of the non-existent / the unreal / the temporary |
| भावः | bhāvaḥ | existence / being |
| सतः | sataḥ | of the existent / the real / the eternal |
| अभावः | abhāvaḥ | non-existence / non-being |
| तत्त्वदर्शिभिः | tattva-darśibhiḥ | by seers of truth / by those who see reality as it is |
| न विद्यते | na vidyate | does not exist / has no being |
| उभयोः | ubhayoḥ | of both (the real and the unreal) |
| अपि | api | also / as well |
| दृष्टः अन्तः | dṛṣṭo 'ntaḥ | the conclusion has been seen / the truth discerned |
| तु | tu | but / however (contrast) |
| अनयोः | anayoḥ | of these two (sat and asat) |