Verse 2.29
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेनम् आश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः। आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित्॥
Transliteration (IAST)
āścarya-vat paśyati kaścid enam āścarya-vad vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ āścarya-vac cainam anyaḥ śṛṇoti śrutvāpy enaṁ veda na caiva kaścit
Word-by-Word Meanings
āścarya-vat-as a wonder
paśyati-sees
vadati-speaks
śṛṇoti-hears
veda-knows
Translation
Some look upon the Self as a wonder, some speak of it as a wonder, some hear of it as a wonder, and yet others, even after hearing, do not understand it at all.
Commentary
Krishna acknowledges the profound difficulty of truly understanding the Self. Even among those who encounter this teaching, genuine realization is rare. The Self is described as 'āścarya' (wonder) because it defies ordinary categories of understanding. This verse tempers any intellectual arrogance about Self-knowledge.
Themes
jnanaatman