Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 29
Bhagavad Gītā 2.29: A wonder to all
आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेनमाश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः ।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित् ॥
āścaryavatpaśyati kaścidenamāścaryavadvadati tathaiva cānyaḥ
āścaryavaccainamanyaḥ śṛṇoti śrutvāpyenaṃ veda na caiva kaścit
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
One sees it as a marvel; another likewise speaks of it as a marvel; another hears of it as a marvel; and even having heard, no one knows it at all. Kṛṣṇa admits the limits of description: the self cannot be grasped like one more object, only realised. The verse recalls Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.7.
For children
Krishna says: “The real you is so amazing! Some people see it and say ‘Wow!’, some talk about it, some hear about it, but nobody can understand all of it.”
After 2.28 (beings are unseen before birth and after death), Kṛṣṇa says the self itself is a wonder that no one fully grasps.
Word by word
आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेनम् — Someone sees the self as a wonder
- āścaryavat: as a wonder
- paśyati: sees
- kaścit: someone
- enam: this (the self)
आश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः — another speaks of it as a wonder
- vadati: speaks
- tathā eva: in the same way
- anya: another
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति — another hears of it as a wonder
- śṛṇoti: hears
श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित् — yet even after hearing, no one truly knows it
- śrutvā: having heard
- api: even
- veda: knows
- na caiva: not at all
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.