February1 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 2; Verses 2.29 (Day 32) Sankhya Yoga

 

February 1 – Chapter 2; Verse 29

Day 32 [2.29]

आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन-

माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः ।

आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति

श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित् ॥ २-२९॥ 

āśhcharyavat paśhyati kaśhchid enan
āśhcharyavad vadati tathaiva chānyaḥ
āśhcharyavachchainam anyaḥ śhṛiṇoti
śhrutvāpyenaṁ veda na chaiva kaśhchit (2.29) 

ஆஶ்ச¹ர்யவத்¹ப¹ஶ்யதி¹ கஶ்சி¹தே³ன

மாஶ்ச¹ர்யவத்³வத³தி¹ த¹தை²வ சா¹ன்ய: |
ஆஶ்ச¹ர்யவச்¹சை¹னமன்ய: ஶ்ருணோதி¹ 

ஶ்ருத்¹வாப்¹யேனம் வேத³ நசை¹வ க¹ஶ்சி¹த்¹ ||29|| 

29. One sees This (the Self) as a wonder; another speaks of It as a wonder; another hears of It as a wonder; yet, having heard, none understands It at all. 

Commentary: The verse may also be interpreted in this manner: he that sees, hears and speaks of the Self is a wonderful man. Such a man is very rare. He is one among many thousands. Therefore, the Self is very hard to understand. 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda: Wonderful is self-realisation. The ultimate experience is non-dual and therefore inexpressible. It is not had by the mind. The self is conscious of itself. It cannot be put into words, nor even formed as a concept within oneself, yet one who has had that experience tries to speak of it and can only say: “It is a wonder!”

The disciple listens to the master’s inexpressible wonderment at the transcendental experience. He is thrilled. Yet, it remains beyond the three acts of seeing, description and hearing.

The self alone exists. The one appears as many. The unconditioned appears to be conditioned in the individual. That is the power of māyā, God’s illusory power. Just as the blueness of the sky and water in the mirage are optical illusions, this is cosmic illusion. Do not question further. When the house is on fire, the first requirement is not a fruitless research into its cause, but to put it out.

The upaniṣad also declare that the self is not realised by much learning or discussion, but only by God’s grace earned by self-surrender. 

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