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Bhagavad Gita 2.28

Beings are unseen before birth, seen in life and unseen after death, so lamenting is pointless.

अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत।
अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना॥

avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyaktamadhyāni bhārata
avyaktanidhanāny eva tatra kā paridevanā

Translation

"Creatures are unseen before they appear, seen for a while in between, and unseen again at the end, Bharata. What is there to wail over?"

Hindi

"भारत, प्राणी आरंभ में अव्यक्त होते हैं, बीच में व्यक्त दिखते हैं और अंत में फिर अव्यक्त हो जाते हैं। इसमें विलाप कैसा?"

Commentary

Life is described as a short visible interval between two unseen states. The verse invites Arjuna to see that his kinsmen are not lost in death, they only pass out of sight, as they had been out of sight before their birth. The theme of the self is taken up with a note of wonder in 2.29.

Characters in this verse