Verse 2.16

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.16:

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ।
उभयोर् अपि दृष्टोऽन्तस् त्व् अनयोस् तत्त्व-दर्शिभिः ॥ १६ ॥

nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ |
ubhayor api dṛṣṭo'ntas tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ || 16 ||

na–no; asataḥ–of the temporary, such as the material body; vidyate–there is; bhāvaḥ–endurance; na–no; abhāvaḥ–destruction; vidyate–there is; sataḥ–of the eternal; ubhayoḥ–two; api–very; dṛṣṭaḥ–observed; antaḥ–conclusion; tu–indeed; anayoḥ–of these; tattva–of the truth; darśibhiḥ–by the knowers.

Of the temporary, such as winter or summer, there is no permanent existence, and of the eternal, such as the soul, there is no destruction. Those who know the Truth have reached this conclusion by deliberating on what is temporary and what is eternal.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

These words are spoken for persons who cannot yet discriminate. According to the statement asaṅgo hy ayaṃ puruṣaḥ, the soul, or jīvātmā, does not have a relationship with either the subtle or the gross body, nor with the characteristics of the body such as lamentation and delusion. This is because these relationships are imagined only, due to ignorance. For this reason, the present verse beginning with the word nāsataḥ is spoken. The word asataḥ means that due to the non-spiritual nature of lamentation and delusion, which appear to be in both the jīva (who is spiritual by nature) and his shelter, the gross body, they have no real existence. Similarly, the word sataḥ means that the jīvātmā, whose nature is eternal (sat), is never destroyed. In this way the fundamental principle of sat (eternality) and asat (temporariness) is understood. “Thus you and Bhīṣma are eternal. Bodily identification, lamentation and delusion do not exist in regard to the imperishable soul, so how can Bhīṣma and the others be annihilated? Knowing that, why should you grieve for them?”