A declaration · expansive in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“What passes away was never ultimate; what is real cannot vanish.”
The unreal has no being; the real has no nonbeing. Seers have understood the boundary of both.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyof the unreal · exists · being · not · nonbeing · exists · of the real · of both · also · seen · limit · indeed · of these · by seers of reality
What is temporary does not truly exist, and what is real cannot be destroyed. Those who see clearly understand the difference between the two.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Verse 16 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
You reread a message that stung, then imagine the whole relationship collapsing. Krishna’s point cuts through that spiral: not every passing state deserves the weight you give it.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from appearances to what remains unchanged beneath them.
What this verse means
What is temporary does not truly exist, and what is real cannot be destroyed. Those who see clearly understand the difference between the two.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna stands frozen before the battle. Krishna has already told him to endure changing sensations; now he goes deeper, showing that the wise see through appearance itself. This verse defines what can truly be lost and what cannot.
Why this verse still matters
You reread a message that stung, then imagine the whole relationship collapsing. Krishna’s point cuts through that spiral: not every passing state deserves the weight you give it.
“You can stop treating every passing fear or loss as ultimate. Some things vanish; what is real stays.”