Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 Verse 13
भगवद् गीता अध्याय 13 श्लोक 13

ज्ञेयं यत्तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वाऽमृतमश्नुते।
अनादिमत्परं ब्रह्म न सत्तन्नासदुच्यते।।13.13।।



हिंदी अनुवाद - स्वामी रामसुख दास जी ( भगवद् गीता 13.13)
।।13.13।।(टिप्पणी प0 687.1) जो ज्ञेय है? उस(परमात्मतत्त्व) को मैं अच्छी तरहसे कहूँगा? जिसको जानकर मनुष्य अमरताका अनुभव कर लेता है। वह (ज्ञेयतत्त्व) अनादि और परम ब्रह्म है। उसको न सत् कहा जा सकता है और न असत् ही कहा जा सकता है।


Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

Lord Krishna is declaring that which is most worthy  to  be  known  is  that
which is most worthy to strive for and be gained and that is realisation  of
the atma or immortal soul. This realisation is attained by imbibing  the  20
attributes heretofore mentioned previously. Here the  word  amritam  meaning
nectar denotes the nectar of immortality and refers  directly  the  immortal
soul exempt from the pangs of birth,  decrepitude  and  death.  Anadi  means
that which has no beginning for as the atma has no birth it  has  no  ending
and is eternal. The Katha Upanisad I.II.XVIII beginning najayate mriyate  va
vipascit means that the atma is without birth and death. The  compound  mat-
param clarifies that the atma is both a part of  the  Supreme  Lord  who  is
present within as paramatma the Supreme Soul and always subordinate to  Him.
The  Svetasvatara  Upanisad   VI.IX   beginning   sakaranam   karana   dhipa
dhipo means: The Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes  and  the  lord  of
the lord of the senses for Him there is no Lord or  progenitor.  Further  in
the same chapter VI.XVI beginning pradhana ksetrajna patir gunesah  meaning:
The Supreme Lord who is endowed with all auspicious qualities  is  the  lord
of the field of activities, the knower of the field of activities.

The brahman  or  spiritual  substratum  pervading  all  existence  is  great
because the atma which is a separate entity from the physical body  is  part
of it. Brahman is derived from  the  root  word  brh  which  means  becoming
great. So it is included as part of ksetra-jna. The brahman is infinite  and
the atma is infinite as well. The Svetasvatara Upanisad V.IX states   sachan
anthyaya kalpate  meaning:  The  atma  is  infinite.  The  atmas  seemingly
limitation in a physical body  is  due  to  karma  or  reactions  from  past
actions; but once a jiva or embodied  being  achieves  moksa  or  liberation
then the actual infinite and limitless nature of the atma is percieved.  The
brahman is neither sat existence or  asat  non-existence  because  it  never
undergoes any modifications or transformations due to its being  beyond  the
influence of cause and effect. The term brahman can also be  used  to  refer
to the atma as will be seen later in chapter 14, verse  26  and  chapter  18
verse 54. When the atma assumes names and forms sat  becomes applicable  and
when the atma is bereft of names and forms it is asat. Thus it is  factually
beyond both. This is also revealed in the Tattiriya Upanisad  II.VII.IX  and
the Rig Veda VIII.VII.XVII which states: All was asat  in the beginning  and
from it sat arose. So everything was first  unmanifest  and  then  was  made
manifest into names and forms through successive  transformations  of  cause
and effect and such modifications surrounding the atma are due to its  karma
of having to accept embodiment brought on by avidya or ignorance and is  not
inherent in the actual nature of the atma itself. Thus  the  nature  of  the
atma is undefinable by any and all conceptions of sat and asat.

When the Vedic scriptures refer to asat as being in the beginning  they  are
alluding to the unmanifest casual state before existence  is  activated  and
commences.  In this state both cit conscious spirit as  the  ksetra-jna  and
acit inert matter as the ksetra are both present but in a dormant state  and
could be designated as asat. But the brahman and the atma being eternal  and
part of the ksetra-jna are transcendent to both sat and asat except  by  the
accountability and allotment of karma to the  jiva  due  to  reactions  from
past activities.