Bhagavad Gita -Srila Prabhupada 73

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita As It Is -Shri Shrimad A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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Contents of the Gita Summarized
Chapter 2: Verse-29

äscarya-vat pasyati kascid enam
äscarya-vad vadati tathaiva cänyah
äscarya-vac cainam anyah srnoti
srutväpy enam veda na caiva kascit[1]

TRANSLATION

Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.

PURPORT

Since Gitopanisad is largely based on the principles of the Upanisads, it is not surprising to also find this passage in the Katha Upanisad [2]

sravanayäpi bahubhir yo na labhyah
srnvanto ’pi bahavo yam na vidyuh
äscaryo vaktä kusalo ’sya labdhä
äscaryo ’sya jïätä kusalänusistah

The fact that the atomic soul is within the body of a gigantic animal, in the body of a gigantic banyan tree, and also in the microbic germs, millions and billions of which occupy only an inch of space, is certainly very amazing. Men with a poor fund of knowledge and men who are not austere cannot understand the wonders of the individual atomic spark of spirit, even though it is explained by the greatest authority of knowledge, who imparted lessons even to Brahmä, the first living being in the universe. Owing to a gross material conception of things, most men in this age cannot imagine how such a small particle can become both so great and so small. So men look at the soul proper as wonderful either by constitution or by description. Illusioned by the material energy, people are so engrossed in subject matters for sense gratification that they have very little time to understand the question of self-understanding, even though it is a fact that without this self-understanding all activities result in ultimate defeat in the struggle for existence. Perhaps they have no idea that one must think of the soul, and thus make a solution to the material miseries.

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References

  1. ascarya-vat=as amazing; pasyati=sees; kascit=someone; enam=this soul; ascarya-vat=as amazing; vadati=speaks of; tathä=thus; eva=certainly; ca=also; anyah=another; ascarya-vat=similarly amazing; ca=also; enam=this soul; anyah=another; srnoti=hears of; srutvä=having heard; api=even; enam=this soul; veda=knows; na=never; ca=and; eva=certainly; kascit=someone.
  2. 1.2.7

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