Bhagavad Gita - Daily One Verse Brief Explanation - II 2:16 II

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|| Shree Hari ||

Ram Ram

 

SADHAKS PLEASE READ THIS SHLOKA VERY CAREFULLY. IN THIS VERSE (and

the following two) THE NATURE OF THE REAL (SPIRIT, SOUL), AND THE

UNREAL (MATTER, BODY) are revealed.

 

II 2:16 II

 

naasato vidyate bhaavo, nabhaavo vidyate satah

ubhayor api drsto 'ntas tv anayos tattva-darshibhih

 

" The unreal has no existence and the real never ceases to be; the

truth of both has been realized by the seers of truth. "

 

Comment:

 

There are two divisions – Chetan (conscious, spirit, soul or " IS-

ness " ) and the other is the Jada (inert or the matter or " IS-not " ).

Paramatma (God, Supreme Consciousness) & souls (Jeev, Individual

Consciousness) of all are in the consciousness part and the world &

body are in the inert or matter part. The nature of these two is

exactly opposite. This is a rule that entities of opposite nature

cannot exist together. That is why once we firmly believe in " IS "

then the belief in " IS not " does not stay. Once the belief in " IS-

not " is gone, then belief in " is " comes alive. The true aspirant

besides " IS " (truth, real, existence), does not accept any other

reality at all. On not accepting any other reality, the " Is-ness "

awakens in the aspirant naturally, on it's own. With constant

awareness of the " IS-ness " , the aspirant becomes one with his object

of achievement.

 

Even if a person believes very strongly in something which is not

there ( " is-not " ), he would have to let go of this because he cannot

realize the oneness with it. On the other hand if a person may deny

the " IS-ness, he still attains it. It is possible to forget

existence of the " Is-ness " but cannot get away from it permanently.

Since there is nothing which exists besides " Hai " (IS-ness) – this

is the gist, that is what the great sages have experienced the truth

about this.

 

In the world, unreal (non-existence, absence) is primary. In its

perceived existence also there is non-existence. But in Paramatma

(God) existence is primary, the true entity. In Him non-existence is

also existence and in existence is of course existence. Whether we

see the world or not, whether we get to the world or not, the

separation from it is a must. Whether we see or do not see God,

whether we attain Him or not, union with Him is the supreme. There

is perpetual separation from the world and there is a eternal union

with God.

 

From Gita Prabodhani in Hindi pg. 28-29 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

 

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Chapter 2, Verse 16 is as follows;

 

Na = not

AsataH = of unreal

Vidyate = is

BhaavaH = being

Na = not

AbhaavaH = non-being

Vidyate = is

SataH = of the real

UbhayoH = of the two

Api = also

DruShtaH = seen

AntaH = the final truth

Tu = also

AnayoH = of these

Tatva-DarshibhiH = by the knowers of the truth

 

English translation:-

 

The unreal has no existence; the real never ceases to exist. The

final conclusion about both the real and unreal has been already

realised by the seers of truth.

 

In Vedanta philosophy, " The Un-Real is that entity which seems to

exist in the present tense but did not exist in the past and will

not exist in the future; and as a corollary, the Real is that entity

which does exist in the present tense and with certainty it did

exist in the past and it will exist in the future without any

doubts. "

 

`Tatva Darshana' is seeing and validating the reality of things that

we experience day to day.

 

`Sat' i.e. the real is defined as that in regard to which our

consciousness never fails and `A-Sat' i.e. the unreal is defined as

that in regard to which our consciousness fails. Our consciousness

does vary but not with regard to the existence. The unreal which is

a transitory depiction of the mortal world, veils the unchanging

reality, which is forever manifest.

 

`Sat' i.e. the real is also defined as the Soul - the Atman while `A-

Sat' i.e. the unreal is defines as the physical body of a living

being.

 

Every Sadhak knows that, `What looks good, what tastes good and what

feels good is certainly not good food for one's sound health.'

 

The Real is that entity which transcends the limitation of space,

time and causations. The Real existed in the distant past, it

continues to exist in the present and it will continue to exist in

the distant future.

 

The conservation of energy principle states that the sum total

energy in the Universe is constant. One can transform energy from

one form to another form, but no one can destroy energy. This is the

basis behind the concept of `Brahman' in the Vedanta philosophy. It

is also termed as `Purusha' which does not undergo any changes. It

is the Real one which is eternal and unchanging. Mathematically, one

can say that the function of `Brahman' is a straight line without

any gradient with respect to the multiple variables of space, time

and causations.

 

On the other hand the passing, fleeting and transient nature i.e.

`Prakruti' is the Un-Real one. It appears in a burst mode and

randomly dies away. What appears as a beautiful flower today, the

same flower may land tomorrow at the feet of an idol in a temple or

may be used to decorate a dead body. As per the theory of evolution

of species, many animals and birds have undergone changes while

adapting to the ever changing environment on the planet Earth. The

entity which is ever changing is called `Prakruti'.

 

Whatever scientific and technological advances take place, they are

in the domain of `Prakruti' i.e. the Mother Nature and not in the

domain of `Purusha' i.e. the Supreme Being that represents infinite

reservoir of energy in the Universe.

 

In verse 3 of chapter 8 in Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, Lord Krishna has

defined; " Aksharam Brahma Paramam " i.e. The Brahman is the

Imperishable, the Supreme.

 

We accept speed of light as a universal constant. The speed of light

in vacuum is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second (m/s). However,

in the case of a laser beam (Light Amplification by Stimulated

Emission of Radiation), we make it spatially coherent, which means

that the light is either emitted in a narrow, low-divergence beam;

or can be converted into one with the help of optical components

such as lenses. Please note that by no scientific means, one can

accelerate a beam of light beyond that speed of light, which is a

universal constant.

 

The ever changing `Prakruti' is considered to be an illusion as it

undergoes transformations due to space, time and causations.

 

This is indeed the basis of the definition in Vedanta philosophy of

`Brahma Satyam, Jagan Mitthyaa' i.e. the ultimate truth is Brahman

and the mortal world is illusionary.

 

In the backdrop of constantly changing Universe, in order to measure

these changes, there is necessity of a reference point or an origin,

which is indeed a changeless substratum.

 

In order to measure flow of water in a river, a relatively

motionless river bed must be conceptualised. Similarly, in order to

contain the millions of experiences in a human life that the trio of

our physical body, mind and intellect undergo, we need to have a

reference point or a substratum that is changeless and eternal in

nature.

 

On closer analysis, every Sadhak will appreciate that it is indeed

the Pure Consciousness i.e. the Self – the Atman in all the living

beings and non-living things. It is that spiritual entity which is

all pervading, unborn, undying, changeless and eternal in nature.

 

It reminds me of a nice Bhaktee Geeta in Marathi language by Santa

Tukaaraama, which is as follows;

 

" Deha Devaache Mandeera, Aata Aatmaa Parameshwara " i.e. the body of

every being is a temple of God, wherein the Supreme Being resides as

Aatman, which is a tiny fraction of the all pervading Brahman.

 

" Jashee Usaata Ho Saakhara, Tasaa Dehaata Ho Ishwara " i.e. as there

is sugar in sugar-cane, there is Ishwara in the body of every being.

 

" Jase Dudhaa Madhe LoNee, Tasaa Dehi ChakrapaaNee " i.e. as there is

butter in milk, there is Lord Vishnu in the body of every being.

 

Lord Krishna gives a high voltage shock treatment to grief stricken

Arjuna, who is lost in the illusion of his unfocussed fickle mind

and rudderless intellect. Lord Krishna advices Arjuna that in order

to succeed, Arjuna has to understand the play of Real and Un-Real in

this mortal world and transcend beyond the distracting dualities of

hot and cold, joy and sorrow, honour and dishonour, profit and loss

etc.

 

Thanks & Best Regards,

Shrikant Joshi

 

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|| Shree Hari ||

Ram Ram

 

All Sadhaks can and should contribute as well. Discussion /

clarification is encouraged

 

OTHER REQUESTS FROM SADHAKS -

 

Please feel free to take the lead in any of these areas so that all

sadhaks may benefit.

 

- Introduction to Chapters (GT MODERATOR FROM SADHAK SANJIVANI)

- Chapter Summary - Principles and Laws emanating from it.(N.B. VYAS)

- Summary of Chapter from Sadhak Sanjivani " AS IS "

- Yes, Epilogue / Important Facts in each verse good to bring out.

- Any subtle thoughts / interpretation (MIKE)

- In-depth explanation of " Om Tat Saditi Srimadbhagavadgitaasu,

Upanishadsu..... " is a very good idea. (GT MODERATOR FROM SADHAK

SANJIVANI)

 

From Gita Talk Moderators

Ram Ram

-----------------------------

 

Shree Hari

Ram Ram

We deeply thank Shri Shrikantji Joshi for taking the initiative to

support this divine work of daily one verse Bhagavad Gita

explanation and Shri Madan Kauraji for the Gita Prabodhani

translation Chapter 1 and 2 and to Mrs. K Asani for requesting shloka

explanation on a daily basis.

From Gita Talk Moderators

Ram Ram