Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 29
आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन
माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः श्रृणोति
श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित्।।
माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः श्रृणोति
श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित्।।
āścarya-vat paśyati kaścid enan
āścarya-vad vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ
āścarya-vac cainam anyaḥ śṛṇoti
śrutvāpyenaṁ veda na caiva kaścit
also searched as "ashcharyavat pashyati kashchidenam"
Translation
One regards This (self) as a wonder; another speaks of It as a wonder; yet another hears of It as a wonder; and even after hearing of It, one does not know It.
Vāṇi's rendering
One sees it as a wonder, another speaks of it, another hears — and still, hardly anyone knows it.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आश्चर्यवत्āścarya-vat | as a wonder, as something astonishing |
| पश्यतिpaśyati | sees, looks upon |
| कश्चित्kaścid | someone, a rare one |
| एनम्enam | this — the self within |
| आश्चर्यवत्āścarya-vad | as a wonder (the t softens before the next word) |
| वदतिvadati | speaks of it, tells of it |
| तथाtathā | likewise, in the same way |
| एवeva | just so, indeed |
| चca | and |
| अन्यःanyaḥ | another person |
| आश्चर्यवत्āścarya-vac | as a wonder (the t becomes c before ca) |
| चca | and |
| एनम्enam | this — the self within |
| अन्यःanyaḥ | yet another |
| श्रृणोतिśṛṇoti | hears, listens to |
| श्रुत्वाśrutvā | having heard |
| अपिapi | even, although |
| एनम्enam | this — the self within |
| वेदveda | knows, truly knows |
| नna | not |
| चca | and |
| एवeva | indeed, at all |
| कश्चित्kaścit | anyone |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 29 mean?
It means that the self can be seen, spoken of, and heard about, and still not be known. Krishna names three degrees of contact — wonder, speech, listening — and then says knowing is rarer than all of them. The verse guards against mistaking a strong impression for realisation.
What is the meaning of ashcharyavat pashyati kashchidenam?
Āścarya-vat means as a wonder, and kaścit means some rare one. Even seeing the self as marvellous is uncommon; Krishna grants that much and withholds more. Wonder is honest, and it is not the end. The verse leaves the last step unfinished on purpose.
Why does Krishna say almost no one knows the self?
Because the self is not an object that words hand over. Hearing gives you a description; the described thing remains outside you. Krishna is not discouraging Arjuna — he is telling him what kind of effort is required, so that Arjuna stops expecting the teaching to work like information.
How is this verse useful when I already understand the teaching intellectually?
That is exactly the situation the verse addresses. You may have heard it clearly, restated it well, even felt awe. Krishna counts all of that and then asks for something else. Test your understanding where grief actually arrives, not where the sentence sounds true.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Three people meet the same thing and none of them arrives. One sees it and calls it astonishing. One repeats what he saw. One listens well. Then Krishna removes the ending you expect — hardly anyone knows it. Arjuna has just been told that the self is unborn, unslayable, beyond grief. He nods. Krishna is warning him that nodding is not knowing. Wonder is where this begins, not where it finishes; the report of a fire is not warmth. You have read the words about the deathless self many times. Ask which of the three you were when you read them.