Skip to content

Bhagavad Gita 2.29

The self is so wonderful that people marvel at it in seeing, speaking and hearing, yet few truly know it.

आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन
माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति
श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित्॥

āścaryavat paśyati kaścid enam
āścaryavad vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ
āścaryavac cainam anyaḥ śṛṇoti
śrutvāpy enaṃ veda na caiva kaścit

Translation

One person looks at the self and is amazed, another speaks of it with amazement, another hears of it with amazement, and yet, after all the hearing, hardly anyone truly knows it.

Hindi

कोई इसे आश्चर्य की तरह देखता है, कोई आश्चर्य के साथ इसकी चर्चा करता है, कोई आश्चर्य के साथ इसे सुनता है, और फिर भी सुनकर भी कोई इसे सचमुच नहीं जान पाता।

Commentary

Having described the self in many ways, Krishna admits how hard it is to know. The wonder comes in three forms: seeing, speaking and hearing. This honesty about difficulty prepares the shift in 2.30, where he closes the first line of argument.

Characters in this verse

Key concepts