Bhagavad Gita 2.29

Sanskrit

आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः । आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित् ॥2.29॥

Transliteration

āścaryavatpaśyati kaścidena māścaryavadvadati tathaiva cānyaḥ | āścaryavaccainamanyaḥ śṛṇoti śrutvāpyenaṃ veda na caiva kaścit ‖2.29‖

Meaning

“One sees it as a wonder; another speaks of it as a wonder; another hears of it as a wonder, yet even having heard, scarcely anyone knows it.”

Key learning

The deepest reality is a genuine wonder, and even people who study and talk about it rarely truly grasp it. This protects you from two traps: thinking you are too slow to understand, and thinking you already know it all just because you heard the words. The healthy middle is steady, humble amazement.

How to apply this today

Keep a sense of wonder in whatever you study deeply, especially things you think you already know. The expert who still finds the work mysterious keeps growing; the one who 'knows everything' stopped growing long ago. Treat the people closest to you as wonders too; the spouse or child you think you fully know will surprise you if you ask curious questions. Today, treat the feeling of 'I already know this' as a warning sign, and get curious again.

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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