2.11-2.30: counters first argument – compassion

So now Krishna will describe actually there are two natures, what is this ‘mritatvaya? What is this eternity we will attain where it is situated that will be described in the next verse:

BG 2.16

nasato vidyate bhavo

nabhavo vidyate satah

ubhayor api drishto ‘ntas

tv anayos tattva–darsibhih

SYNONYMS

na — never; asatah — of the nonexistent; vidyate — there is; bhavah — endurance; na — never; abhavah — changing quality; vidyate — there is; satah — of the eternal; ubhayoh — of the two; api — verily; drishtah — observed; antah — conclusion; tu — indeed; anayoh — of them; tattva — of the truth; darsibhih — by the seers.

TRANSLATION

Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance, and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.

It is quite poetic we have repeating word asata and bhavo repeatedly. Words interchange to make speech more sweet and appealing. BG is a poem sung by Krishna. It deals with philosophy. Poetry is more esoteric, it may be having multiple levels of meaning.

While describing it, we should not only understand it, but also recite it. Rhyming words, different figure of speech, there is an inversion of the way in 2nd line then in 1st line.

Here Krishna is referring to spiritual and material nature and also on soul and the body.

ubhayor api drishto ‘ntas, ubhaya is two, drishta + antas, first we have dristi, we will take our vision deep through philosophy, then our drishti reaches to the (anta) conclusion—as in Veda, we have Vedanta, the conclusion of Veda. Similarly, drista antah means when our drishti come to conclusion, we understand that essentially there are two natures: there is material nature and there is spiritual nature. And what is the characteristic of each of these, nasato vidyate bhavo, so of the (asat) temporary there is no existence. nabhavo vidyate satah, satah is that which is eternal, of the eternal there is no cessation.

When Sri Krishna is talking about “ubhayor api drishto ‘ntas,” what He is referring to? He is referring in a generic sense to spiritual and material nature; specifically He is referring to soul and the body. So the soul it eternal and the body is temporary. Now, Asat means temporary; Srila Prabhupada has used the translation, nonexistent. And then he says of the material body, those who are seers of the truth have concluded so drishto ‘ntas, tattva–darsibhih, seers of the truth have concluded, drishtantha of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance, and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. Srila Prabhupada has used big braces.

In English parentheses () is put to clarify further, where as square bracket [] is put to add, what is said earlier.

Krishna is saying this world is nonexistence, body is nonexistence. So how this is possible? Often Srila Prabhupada used the word nonexistence over temporary. For example, Srila Prabhupada once gave a class in which he said, actually this world is an illusion and our identification of separate identification is also an illusion, and we have to go out of illusion. So one disciple of SP was thinking and meditating that I am an illusion, this wall is an illusion, and he tried to walk through the wall, but banged his head. He approached Srila Prabhupada, and told what has happened. Prabhupada said, that you have to understand what is the meaning of the world. It is an illusion, like a dream. While experiencing a dream, it appears to be a reality. For instance, a tiger is chasing me in a dream, but once we wake up; what was that all about, there is no meaning to it. So when we think in this sense, we understand that actually when we call world as illusion, it is in reference to temporary nature. So it will not remain; for example, we have some possessions now, we have some hobbies now, all of these are temporary. If it is connected to Krishna, then there is a spiritual meaning to it.

Getting attached to illusion is unfortunate. Illusion is our inability to see things in connection with Krishna. As mentioned in one verse ritey artham…what we think of is meaningful, but if we don’t see it connection with the Absolute Truth, know that to be Maya. So illusion is inability to see things in connection with Krishna.

When we see things in connection to Krishna, we move forward and use those things in the service of Krishna. Here Arjuna [or people in general] not able to see things in connection to Krishna. So in that sense, things are asat; they are not illusion, but illusory. So they are temporary, and we don’t see connection with Krishna; we will come under illusion.

When we see world around, there is an underlying reality beyond this world—it is the spiritual reality.