« The Song of God—Volume 1, chapters 1-6
The eternal and the temporary (Bg 2.16)
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa summarizes the difference between spirit and matter, an explanation He will expand in the next two sections. By understanding the difference between the temporary and the eternal, Arjuna can see that lamentation for the destruction of the body is based on illusion, because the real person, the soul, remains unaffected.
Text 16: nāsato vidyate bhāvo, nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayor api dṛṣṭo ’ntas, tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ
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.
In the first two lines of the verse, Kṛṣṇa reveals a very deep truth by playing with the meanings of the words sat, asat, bhāvaḥ, and abhāvaḥ.
“Sat” means existing, being, real, true, existent, while “asat” is the opposite: nonexistent, nonbeing, unreal, untrue. When we add the ending ḥ (visarga) to both words, they become the sataḥ and asataḥ we see in the verse, which mean “of the eternal” and “of the nonexistent”. Similarly, bhāvaḥ means persistence, or endurance (the quality of something continuing to exist), and abhāvaḥ is the opposite, impermanence or changeability. The word “vidyate” just connects the ideas in the two lines.
In this way, “nāsato vidyate bhāvo“ means that for the nonexistent there is no permanence, and “nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ“ means that there is no change for the eternal. In the context of the verse, this explains the difference between the body and the soul: the body is temporary, without permanence, while the soul is eternal, never changing, and never being destroyed. Kṛṣṇa reveals this truth to Arjuna to counter his lamentation for the possible death of his relatives. In any case, the body will die, be it today, tomorrow, or after a few years, but the soul can’t ever be destroyed. There is therefore no reason to lament for the body.
In other words, the verse explains that the body is temporary (asat) and the soul is eternal (sat). Because the body exists for just a blip in eternity, it is ephemeral, while the soul is permanent. The word “asat” shouldn’t be taken in the literal sense, meaning that the material world and the material body are false or don’t exist (as believed by Māyāvādīs), but it emphasizes that they are ephemeral and transitory.
As Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in his purport, the eternality of the soul and the transience of the body are accepted by all classes of transcendentalists: “By nature, the body is ever-changing, and the soul is eternal. This conclusion is established by all classes of seers of the truth, both impersonalist and personalist. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (2.12.38) it is stated that Viṣṇu and His abodes all have self-illuminated spiritual existence (jyotīmṣi viṣṇur bhuvanāni viṣṇuḥ). The words existent and nonexistent refer only to spirit and matter. That is the version of all seers of truth.”
The verse also brings us a more general understanding of the difference between spirit and matter, and this gives us a simple formula for understanding the difference between them. Everything that is material (asat) is temporary, while everything spiritual (sat) is eternal. Everything that changes (abhāvaḥ) is impermanent and thus illusory, and everything that is real (in the full sense) never changes. From this simple definition, we can understand the difference between the real and the illusory.
The body and everything connected with it, such as possessions, material activities, and relationships, as well as the material universe in itself, are temporary. They all have a beginning and an end, and therefore they are asat, illusory. The soul, Kṛṣṇa, the spiritual world, as well as our relationship with Him and His pure devotees, are eternal, sat. Everything that is asat is ultimately illusory, and everything eternal is sat, real. By learning the difference, we can understand, at least intellectually, how to distinguish between the two.
Currently, it may sound difficult to understand this concept, since the material world appears to be very real to us, while the spiritual reality may seem distant and ephemeral, but as our spiritual realization grows, our perception starts changing. This is a journey in which the Bhagavad-gītā can guide us. It’s very difficult to become free from material contamination by a negative process of negation. Instead, the recommended process is to become aware of our eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. He is closer to us than anyone else inside our hearts, and as we better understand Him, our relationship with Him starts to feel more real, and, as our focus changes, the external world starts feeling ephemeral. As Prabhupāda explains in his purport:
“Removal of ignorance involves the reestablishment of the eternal relationship between the worshiper and the worshipable and the consequent understanding of the difference between the part-and-parcel living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can understand the nature of the Supreme by thorough study of oneself, the difference between oneself and the Supreme being understood as the relationship between the part and the whole. In the Vedānta-sūtras, as well as in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Supreme has been accepted as the origin of all emanations. Such emanations are experienced by superior and inferior natural sequences. The living entities belong to the superior nature, as it will be revealed in the Seventh Chapter. Although there is no difference between the energy and the energetic, the energetic is accepted as the Supreme, and the energy or nature is accepted as the subordinate. The living entities, therefore, are always subordinate to the Supreme Lord, as in the case of the master and the servant, or the teacher and the taught. Such clear knowledge is impossible to understand under the spell of ignorance, and to drive away such ignorance the Lord teaches the Bhagavad-gītā for the enlightenment of all living entities for all time.”
Main points in the purport of Śrīla Prabhupāda:
“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.”
a) By nature, the body is constantly changing, while the soul is eternal. That is the difference between matter and spirit.
b) Despite being eternal souls, we identify with the temporary body due to ignorance. To remove this ignorance, we need to reestablish our relationship with the worshipable, the Supreme Lord, which includes understanding the difference between the soul and the Lord.
c) The difference between us and Kṛṣṇa is understood as the relationship between the part and the whole. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all emanations, which are divided into spiritual and material manifestations.
d) The souls are part of the superior nature, the spiritual potency. Although there is no difference in quality, the souls are subordinate to the Lord, as in the case of the master and the servant, or the teacher and the taught.
e) These are clear conclusions, but as long as we are under the spell of ignorance, it is impossible to understand this knowledge. To drive away this ignorance, the Lord teaches us the Bhagavad-gītā.
Read the entire book:
« The Song of God—Volume 1, chapters 1-6
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Excellent Explanation Prabhuji 👏👍🙏
Thank you.