Bhagavad Gita 2.16
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 16 of 72
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः। उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः॥
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ / ubhayor api dṛṣṭo 'ntas tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ
The impermanent never truly is; the Real never stops being. The seers of truth have verified this.
Word by word (4)
- na asataḥ vidyate bhāvaḥ
- — for the unreal there is no being / the unreal never comes into existence · 'Asat' — the non-real, the impermanent, that which changes and passes away. 'Bhāva' — being, existence. The impermanent never truly exists — it appears and disappears, but it has no abiding reality.
- na abhāvaḥ vidyate sataḥ
- — for the real there is no non-being / the real never ceases to exist · 'Sat' — the Real, the eternal, that which does not change. 'Abhāva' — non-existence, absence. What is truly real cannot become non-existent.
- ubhayoḥ api dṛṣṭaḥ antaḥ tu
- — the truth of both has been seen / the conclusion about both has been realized
- anayoḥ tattva-darśibhiḥ
- — by those who see reality / by seers of truth
'The unreal never truly exists. The Real never ceases to exist. The truth of both of these has been clearly seen by those who can see reality.'
A modern analogy
A dream feels completely real while you're in it. When you wake, you say: 'that wasn't real.' The Gita extends this: everything impermanent — everything that appears and disappears — has the same status as the dream. What is Real is what remains when everything transient has passed. This is not nihilism; it is the most affirmative possible view: something permanent underlies everything.
Take with you
- The Sat/Asat distinction is one of Advaita's central teachings: Real (Sat) = eternal, unchanging; Unreal (Asat) = appearing and disappearing.
- 'Tattva-darśibhiḥ' — seers of truth. This is not abstract speculation but direct perception by those who have verified it through practice.
- The practical implication: suffering that arises from treating the impermanent as permanent can be addressed by recognizing what is actually Real.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Of the unreal no being is found; of the Real no nonbeing is found. The conclusion about both these is seen by the seers of truth. [1]
The unreal never is; the Real never is not. This truth indeed has been seen by those who can see the essence of things. [4]
The unreal hath no being; the real never ceaseth to be; The truth of both these is seen by those who look deeply. [7]
There is no existence for the unreal; there is no non-existence for the real. And the final truth about both these has been perceived by those who see truth. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
That which pervades everything cannot be destroyed — nothing and no one has the power to end it.
Constant Self-enquiry + seeing the goal of true knowledge = THIS IS JÑĀNA; all else is ignorance.
You grieve for those who should not be grieved for — and call it wisdom.
Your body changed from childhood to age without 'you' dying — changing bodies is no different.
The wisdom-yoked person rises above good and bad karma alike. Yoga is supreme skill in action.
Arjuna asks: what does the truly wise person look like? How do they speak, sit, and move?
Verse 16 of 72 · back to Chapter 2