नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ।उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ |ubhayor api dṛṣṭo 'ntas tv anayos tattvadarśibhiḥ ||
- न · na
- not
- असतः · asataḥ
- of the unreal, the non-existent
- विद्यते · vidyate
- there is
- भावः · bhāvaḥ
- being, coming-to-be
- न · na
- nor
- अभावः · abhāvaḥ
- non-being, ceasing-to-be
- विद्यते · vidyate
- there is
- सतः · sataḥ
- of the real, the existent
- उभयोः · ubhayoḥ
- of both
- अपि · api
- also
- दृष्टः · dṛṣṭaḥ
- has been seen
- अन्तः · antaḥ
- the end, conclusion
- तु · tu
- indeed
- अनयोः · anayoḥ
- of these two
- तत्त्वदर्शिभिः · tattvadarśibhiḥ
- by the seers of truth
“The unreal never comes to be; the real never ceases to be. The seers of truth have seen the end of both.”
— Original plain-language translation
The Gita's axiom in one line — sat versus asat. What changes was never ultimately real; what is real never changes. Grief, Krishna implies, mistakes one for the other. The 'seers' are invoked as witnesses, not authorities: this is presented as seen fact.
— Reader's notes (original)