Bhagavad Gita 2.16

Sanskrit

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः । उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥2.16॥

Transliteration

nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ | ubhayorapi dṛṣṭo'ntastvanayostattvadarśibhiḥ ‖2.16‖

Meaning

“The unreal has no being; the real never ceases to be. The truth about both has been seen by the knowers of reality.”

Key learning

What's truly real never disappears; what's passing never had lasting substance. Wisdom is learning to tell the lasting from the fleeting.

How to apply this today

Spend your energy on what lasts, character, love, growth, not on what vanishes: a mood, a trend, today's win or loss. Asking "will this matter in ten years?" quickly sorts the real from the passing.

Theme: The Yoga of Knowledge

This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga , read all verses in this chapter.

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