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Bhagavad-Gītā with Śaṅkara's bhāṣya · 2.29
āścaryavat paśyati kaścid enam āścaryavad vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ | āścaryavac cainam anyaḥ śṛṇoti śrutvāpy enaṃ veda na caiva kaścit
Translation. Some behold this Self (ātman) as a wonder;
another, just so, speaks of it as a wonder;
and another hears of it as a wonder.
Yet even after hearing of it, no one at all knows it.
Grammar check: 16 words pass / 0 flagged / 7 beyond the checkerPāṇini-verified
Every word's claimed grammar is re-derived with vidyut-prakriya, software implementing Pāṇini's rules. Flags are shown, never hidden; some are the text taking epic or Vedic liberties the classical rules do not generate.
Word by word
| surface | lemma | grammar |
|---|
| āścaryavat | āścaryavat | unsupported |
| paśyati | paś | pass |
| kaścit | kaścit | pass |
| enam | enad | unsupported |
| āścaryavat | āścaryavat | unsupported |
| vadati | vad | pass |
| tathā | tathā | pass |
| eva | eva | pass |
| ca | ca | pass |
| anyaḥ | anya | pass |
| āścaryavat | āścaryavat | unsupported |
| ca | ca | pass |
| enam | enad | unsupported |
| anyaḥ | anya | pass |
| śṛṇoti | śru | pass |
| śrutvā | śru | pass |
| api | api | pass |
| enam | enad | unsupported |
| veda | vid | unsupported |
| na | na | pass |
| ca | ca | pass |
| eva | eva | pass |
| kaścit | kaścit | pass |
How the commentary settled it
Where the verse alone is ambiguous, the reading follows Śaṅkara's commentary; the deciding lines are quoted below each decision.
All three occurrences of enam denote the Self (ātman), rather than an unspecified masculine person or object.→ this Self (ātman)
gita [1]āścaryavat āścaryam adṛṣṭa-pūrvam adbhutam akasmād dṛśyamānaṃ tena tulyaṃ āścaryavat āścaryam iva enam ātmānaṃ paśyati kaścit |
As a wonder—something unprecedented, astonishing, suddenly becoming visible—like that; as a wonder, as though a wonder, someone sees this Self.
gita [4]śrutvā dṛṣṭvā uktvāpi enam ātmānaṃ veda na caiva kaścit |
Even after hearing, seeing, or speaking, no one at all knows this Self.
Āścaryavat is taken primarily as a resemblance-expression, “as a wonder,” applying to how the Self is seen, spoken of, and heard—not merely as “wonderfully” or “with amazement.” It is a taddhitānta indeclinable in -vati, not a samāsa; this agrees with the resemblance function of vat [MW s.v. vat, 915,2].→ as a wonder
gita [1]āścaryavat āścaryam adṛṣṭa-pūrvam adbhutam akasmād dṛśyamānaṃ tena tulyaṃ āścaryavat āścaryam iva enam ātmānaṃ paśyati kaścit |
“Wonder” means something unprecedented, astonishing, suddenly becoming visible; āścaryavat means comparable with that, as though a wonder.
gita [2]āścaryavad enaṃ vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ |
Another likewise speaks of this as a wonder.
The translation follows Śaṅkara’s first exposition, while recognizing his explicit alternative: āścaryavat may characterize the rare person who sees, speaks, or hears, such a person being “like a wonder” among many thousands. The plaintext’s sṛṇoti is evidently a typo for the unit’s śṛṇoti.→ The main translation uses the first reading; the second is retained as an acknowledged alternative.
gita [5]athavā yo 'yam ātmānaṃ paśyati sa āścarya-tulyaḥ, yo vadati ya ca sṛṇoti so 'neka-sahasreṣu kaścid eva bhavati |
Alternatively, the one who sees this Self is comparable to a wonder; the one who speaks and the one who hears is only some rare person among many thousands.
Tathā eva carries the comparison forward: the second person speaks of the same Self “just so,” namely as a wonder.→ just so; likewise
gita [2]āścaryavad enaṃ vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ |
Another likewise speaks of this as a wonder.
Api after śrutvā is concessive: “even after hearing” or “although having heard.” Śaṅkara broadens the implication to seeing and speaking as well, but the translation retains the verse’s explicit śrutvā and does not insert those additional actions into the verse line.→ even after hearing
gita [4]śrutvā dṛṣṭvā uktvāpi enam ātmānaṃ veda na caiva kaścit |
Even after hearing, seeing, or speaking, no one at all knows this Self.
Na ... kaścit is construed as a general negative, “no one,” with eva adding emphasis (“at all”), rather than as the weaker claim “someone does not know.” Śaṅkara states the purport to be the Self’s difficulty of comprehension.→ no one at all knows it
gita [4]śrutvā dṛṣṭvā uktvāpi enam ātmānaṃ veda na caiva kaścit |
Even after hearing, seeing, or speaking, no one at all knows this Self.
gita [6]ato durbodha ātmā ity abhiprāyaḥ ||bhgs_2.29||
Therefore the intended point is that the Self is difficult to comprehend.
Śrutvā is analyzed as the indeclinable ktvā-absolutive of śru, not as Lot Prathama Eka as reported by Vyākaraṇī. The form denotes an action prior to veda.
→ indeclinable ktvā-absolutive
Although veda is morphologically Liṭ of vid, it is translated with present force, “knows,” as allowed for this perfect [MW s.v. vid, 963,2] and required by the commentary’s general conclusion about the Self’s being difficult to comprehend.→ knows
gita [4]śrutvā dṛṣṭvā uktvāpi enam ātmānaṃ veda na caiva kaścit |
Even after hearing, seeing, or speaking, no one at all knows this Self.
gita [6]ato durbodha ātmā ity abhiprāyaḥ ||bhgs_2.29||
Therefore the intended point is that the Self is difficult to comprehend.
Śaṅkara's commentary on this unit
1āścaryavat āścaryam adṛṣṭa-pūrvam adbhutam akasmād dṛśyamānaṃ tena tulyaṃ āścaryavat āścaryam iva enam ātmānaṃ paśyati kaścit |
2āścaryavad enaṃ vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ |
3āścaryavac ca enam anyaḥ sṛṇoti |
4śrutvā dṛṣṭvā uktvāpi enam ātmānaṃ veda na caiva kaścit |
5athavā yo 'yam ātmānaṃ paśyati sa āścarya-tulyaḥ, yo vadati ya ca sṛṇoti so 'neka-sahasreṣu kaścid eva bhavati |
6ato durbodha ātmā ity abhiprāyaḥ ||bhgs_2.29||
7athedānīṃ prakaraṇārtham upasaṃharan brūte -