Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 29 भगवद् गीता अध्याय 2 श्लोक 29 आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्िचदेन माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः। आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः श्रृणोति श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्िचत्।।2.29।। English Translation - Swami Gambirananda 2.29 Someone visualizes It as a wonder; and similarly indeed, someone else talks of It as a wonder; and someone else hears of It as a wonder. And some one else, indeed, does not realize It even after hearing about It. English Translation - Swami Sivananda 2.29 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. English Translation - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan 2.29. This someone observes as a wonder; similarly another speaks of This as a wonder; another hears This as a wonder; but even after hearing, not even one understands This. English Commentary - Swami Sivananda 2.29 आश्चर्यवत् as a wonder? पश्यति sees? कश्चित् sone one? एनम् this (Self)? आश्चर्यवत् as a wonder? वदति speaks of? तथा so? एव also? च and? अन्यः another? आश्चर्यवत् as a wonder? च and? एनम् this? अन्यः another? श्रृणोति hears? श्रुत्वा having heard? अपि even? एनम् this? वेद knows? न not? च and? एव also? कश्चित् any one.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. Thus the Self is very hard to understand. English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's 2.29 This Self under discussion is inscrutable. Why should I blame you alone regarding a thing that is a source of delusion to all! How is this Self inscrutable? [It may be argued that the Self is the object of egoism. The answer is: Although the individualized Self is the object of egoism, the absolute Self is not.] This is being answered in, Someone visualizes It as a wonder, etc. Kascit, someone; pasyati, visualizes; enam, It, the Self; ascaryavat, as a wonder, as though It were a wonder a wonder is something not seen before, something strange, something seen all on a sudden; what is comparable to that is ascarya-vat; ca, and; tatha, similarly; eva, indeed; kascit, someone; anyah, else; vadati, talks of It as a wonder. And someone else srnoti, hears of It as a wonder. And someone, indeed, na, does not; veda, realize It; api, even; srutva, after hearing, seeing and speaking about It. Or, (the meaning is) he who sees the Self is like a wonder. He who speaks of It and the who hears of It is indeed rare among many thousands. Therefore, the idea is that the Self is difficult to understand. Now, in the course of concluding the topic under discussion, [viz the needlessness of sorrow and delusion,from the point of view of the nature of things.] He says, O descendant of Bharata, this embodied Self, etc. English Translation of Commentary - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan 2.39 Ascaryavat etc. But, if this Self is, in this manner, changeless (or destructionless), why is This not observed just as such by all ? It is so because, as if by a rare chance, only some one observes [This]. Even after listening, not even one understands This i.e., realises This. English Translation of Ramanuja's Sanskrit Commentary 2.29 Among innumerable beings, someone, who by great austerity has got rid of sins and has increased his merits, realises this self possessing the above mentioned nature, which is wonderful and distinct in kind from all things other than Itself. Such a one speaks of It to another. Thus, someone hears of It. And even after hearing of It, no one knows It exactly that It really exists. The term ca (and) implies that even amongst the seers, the speakers and hearers, one with authentic percepetion, authentic speech and authentic hearing, is a rarity. Commentary - Chakravarthi Ji “What an astonishing thing you are describing! And this is more astonishing: though I am being enlightened by you, my lack of discernment does not go away.” “Yes, the atma is truly astonishing.” The Lord then speaks this verse. The word enam in this verse stands for the soul and as well, the body, the combination of both, the whole world. Rudra Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary Why then is it seen that even men possessing intelligence lament in this world? It is simply due to ignorance about the true nature of the eternal soul. Having this theme in mind the abstruseness of the eternal soul is being given. One realising the eternal soul by the understanding the truth found within the Vedic scriptures by the words of the spiritual master sees the eternal soul as amazing. One realising the eternal soul as all pervading and of super natural eternity, knowledge and bliss is bewildered and overcome by its incomprehensibility as in the case of something beyond ones capacity to conceive. Another will talk of the eternal soul as amazing and another will hear of the eternal soul as amazing. Others still misguided by erroneous conceptions and overpowered by false doctrines fail to realise the eternal soul even after correctly hearing about it, indicating that even with the opportunity of learning about the eternal soul does not insure that one can understand it fully. Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary The eternal soul being a infinitesimal portion of the Supreme Lord is never destroyed even during the repetitious connection and disconnection with the physical body. As this is all in accordance with cosmic order there is certainly no reason to lament for this. The omnipotence of the Supreme Lord is amazing. Another meaning can be it is very rare. Therefore it is amazing when known. The eternal soul being an infinitesimal portion of the Supreme Lord is also amazing and the living entity who is aware of their own eternal soul is also very rare. Now begins the summation. What is there to be amazed at for the Supreme Lord to say: It is amazing? Verily what is amazing is the existence of the Supreme Lord Himself. Therefore the spiritually intelligent see the eternal soul as a marvellous expansion of the Supreme Lord and upon realisation of this reality are amazed. Like when the eye sees the expansive sky as being the form of the sky or perceives the expanse of the ocean as being the form of the ocean. In the Brahma Tarka it is stated thus: Amazing indeed is the Supreme Lord and it is not possible to find any other comparable to Him. Therefore wisdom about Him is very similar to perceiving Him. Not being amazed by the Supreme Lord which exists in some is a symptom of those who are spiritually unintelligent. This is indicated by the word kascit meaning some. Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary Among innumerable living entities rarely is one to be found who determinedly absolved themselves of all sinful reactions and has accumulated sufficient merit as to become self-realised enabling one to perceive the separate nature and the distinct aspect of the eternal soul within. Such a realised soul may attempt to give this understanding to another similarly disposed or one may make an attempt to understand it by hearing about it and so forth as examples in this verse. But only one who has acquired enough merit to realise the eternal soul within can possess the true understanding of the eternal soul and no other. The conjunctive particle ca used at the end of the verse denotes that even among the philosophers, speakers and seekers of knowledge about the eternal soul; the transference of bonafide information given and received concerning factual knowledge of what the eternal soul actually is, is very rare. Kumara Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary Among innumerable living entities rarely is one to be found who determinedly absolved themselves of all sinful reactions and has accumulated sufficient merit as to become self-realised enabling one to perceive the separate nature and the distinct aspect of the eternal soul within. Such a realised soul may attempt to give this understanding to another similarly disposed or one may make an attempt to understand it by hearing about it and so forth as examples in this verse. But only one who has acquired enough merit to realise the eternal soul within can possess the true understanding of the eternal soul and no other. The conjunctive particle ca used at the end of the verse denotes that even among the philosophers, speakers and seekers of knowledge about the eternal soul; the transference of bonafide information given and received concerning factual knowledge of what the eternal soul actually is, is very rare. Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 2.29Aashcharyavat pashyati kashchid enamAashcharyavad vadati tathaiva chaanyah; Aashcharyavacchainam anyah shrinotiShrutwaapyenam veda na chaiva kashchit. Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 2.29āśhcharya-vat—as amazing; paśhyati—see; kaśhchit—someone; enam—this soul; āśhcharya-vat—as amazing; vadati—speak of; tathā—thus; eva—indeed; cha—and; anyaḥ—other; āśhcharya-vat—similarly amazing; cha—also; enam—this soul; anyaḥ—others; śhṛiṇoti—hear; śhrutvā—having heard; api—even; enam—this soul; veda—understand; na—not; cha—and; eva—even; kaśhchit—some