Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Bhagavad Gita 2.29: Ashcharyavatpashyati

Krishna says that some look on the self as a wonder, some speak of it as a wonder, and some hear of it as a wonder.

Bhagavad Gita 2.29

आश्च­र्य­व­त्प­श्य­ति कश्चि­दे­न­मा­श्च­र्य­व­द्व­द­ति तथैव चान्यः ।आश्च­र्य­व­च्चै­न­म­न्यः शृणोति श्रुत्वाऽप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित् ॥

Ash­char­ya­vat­pash­ya­ti kash­chi­de­na­mash­char­ya­vad­va­da­ti tathaiva chanyah
Ash­char­ya­vach­chai­na­man­yah shrinoti shrut­vap­ye­nam veda na chaiva kashchit

āś­car­ya­vat­paś­ya­ti kaś­ci­de­na­māś­car­ya­vad­va­da­ti tathaiva cānyaḥ |
āś­car­ya­vac­cai­na­man­yaḥ śṛṇoti śrut­vā’p­ye­naṃ veda na caiva kaścit ||

Our meaning Krishna says that some look on the self as a wonder, some speak of it as a wonder, and some hear of it as a wonder. Yet even after hearing about it, he says, no one truly knows it.

हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण कहते हैं कि कोई आत्मा को आश्चर्य की तरह देखता है, कोई आश्चर्य की तरह उसके बारे में बोलता है, और कोई आश्चर्य की तरह उसके बारे में सुनता है। वे कहते हैं कि सुनकर भी कोई उसे पूरी तरह नहीं जानता।

Word by word

Every word, with its dictionary page

Word by word

  1. आश्चर्यवत् āścaryavat as a wonder (adverb (-vat: like)) Dictionary: 1. āścarya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 158, col. 1 a wonder, miracle, marvel, prodigy ; 1. vat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 915, col. 2 added to words to imply likeness or resemblance
  2. पश्यति paśyati sees (present, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: 1. paś, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 611, col. 2 behold, look at, observe, perceive, notice
  3. कश्चित् kaścit someone (pronoun (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: kim, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 282, col. 2 what? how? whence? wherefore? why?
  4. एनम् enam this (Self) (pronoun (masculine), accusative singular) Dictionary: 1. ena, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 232, col. 1 he, she, it; this, that
  5. आश्चर्यवत् āścaryavat as a wonder (adverb (-vat: like)) Dictionary: 1. āścarya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 158, col. 1 a wonder, miracle, marvel, prodigy ; 1. vat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 915, col. 2 added to words to imply likeness or resemblance
  6. वदति vadati speaks of (present, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: vad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 916, col. 1 to speak, say, utter, tell, report
  7. तथा tathā so (indeclinable) Dictionary: tathā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 433, col. 3 in that manner, so, thus
  8. एव eva also (indeclinable) Dictionary: 1. eva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 232, col. 2 just, exactly, very, same, only, even, alone, merely
  9. च ca and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 ind. and, both, also, moreover, as well as
  10. अन्यः anyaḥ another (pronoun (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: 2. anya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 45, col. 2 other, different
  11. आश्चर्यवत् āścaryavat as a wonder (adverb (-vat: like)) Dictionary: 1. āścarya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 158, col. 1 a wonder, miracle, marvel, prodigy ; 1. vat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 915, col. 2 added to words to imply likeness or resemblance
  12. च ca and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 ind. and, both, also, moreover, as well as
  13. एनम् enam this (pronoun (masculine), accusative singular) Dictionary: 1. ena, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 232, col. 1 he, she, it; this, that
  14. अन्यः anyaḥ another (pronoun (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: 2. anya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 45, col. 2 other, different
  15. शृणोति śṛṇoti hears (present, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: 1. śru, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1100, col. 3
  16. श्रुत्वा śrutvā having heard (absolutive (having done)) Dictionary: 1. śru, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1100, col. 3
  17. अपि api even (indeclinable) Dictionary: api, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 55, col. 1 in the sense of even, also, very
  18. एनम् enam this (pronoun (masculine), accusative singular) Dictionary: 1. ena, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 232, col. 1 he, she, it; this, that
  19. वेद veda knows (perfect with present sense, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: 1. vid, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 963, col. 2 to know, understand, perceive, learn
  20. न na not (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. na, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 523, col. 1 ind. not, no, nor, neither
  21. च ca and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 ind. and, both, also, moreover, as well as
  22. एव eva indeed (indeclinable) Dictionary: 1. eva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 232, col. 2 just, exactly, very, same, only, even, alone, merely
  23. कश्चित् kaścit anyone (pronoun (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: kim, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 282, col. 2 what? how? whence? wherefore? why?
1 printing differs

Public-domain translations

Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 46.

One looks upon it1 as a wonder; another similarly speaks of it as a wonder; another too hears of it as a wonder; and even after having heard of it, no one does really know it2.

  1. I. e. the self spoken of above. ↩
  2. Katha-upanishad, p. 96. ↩
English translation: K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882); public domain. archive.org (page 46, scan leaf n59). Shown verbatim.
Compare 3 translations

Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 46.

One looks upon it1 as a wonder; another similarly speaks of it as a wonder; another too hears of it as a wonder; and even after having heard of it, no one does really know it2.

  1. I. e. the self spoken of above. ↩
  2. Katha-upanishad, p. 96. ↩
English translation: K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882); public domain. archive.org (page 46, scan leaf n59). Shown verbatim.

You are reading this one

Annie Besant, 1895. Public domain. Page 30.

As marvellous one regardeth It; as marvellous another speaketh thereof; as marvellous another heareth thereof; yet, having heard, none indeed understandeth.

English translation: Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895); public domain. archive.org (page 30, scan leaf n36). Shown verbatim.

You are reading this one

Swami Swarupananda, 1909 (first printed 1907). Public domain. Page 40.

Some look upon the Self as marvellous. Others speak of It as wonderful. Others again hear of It as a wonder. And still others, though hearing, do not understand It at all.

English translation: Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909); public domain. archive.org (page 40, scan leaf n53). Shown verbatim.

You are reading this one

Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep with AI help and reviewed. Source and changes

Questions families ask

Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 2.29?

Krishna speaks this verse, in chapter 2 (Sankhya Yoga).

Where does the Sanskrit text come from?

Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep with AI help and reviewed. See the source

Is the meaning on this page a translation?

Explanation written for this site with AI help from the sources listed here, and reviewed. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.

Source and licence

Sanskrit text
The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation (Annie Besant, G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922). Public domain. The Sanskrit on these pages was read from this printing’s page images.
Translation
The Bhagavadgîtâ with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ, translated by Kâshinâth Trimbak Telang (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, ed. F. Max Müller) (Kashinath Trimbak Telang, F. Max Müller, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1882). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
Translation
The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song, translated by Annie Besant (Annie Besant, Theosophical Publishing Society, London, 1895). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
Sanskrit text
Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, with Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-by-word Literal Translation; English Rendering and Comments, Index, &c., by the Swami Swarupananda (Himalayan Series, No. XX) (Swami Swarupananda, The Editors and Publishers, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, Prabuddha Bharata Press, Mayavati, Almora, Himalayas, 1909). Public domain. Used only to date the text. The Devanagari on this page is a reading text and is not copied from this printing.
Common wording
In this text, 32 words follow today's common wording, checked against sanskritdocuments.org; Sanskrit Wikisource; Gita Press, Gorakhpur; GRETIL, Göttingen and Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
Our explanation
Explanation written for this site with AI help from the sources listed here, and reviewed. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
Review
AI review: 2 independent reviews against the cited edition, October 15, 2026.

Sources and licences

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