जगद्दृश्यं तु यद्यस्ति न शाम्यत्येव कस्यचित् । नाऽसतो विद्यते भावो नाऽभावो विद्यते सतः ॥ २६ ॥
jagaddṛśyaṁ tu yadyasti na śāmyatyēva kasyacit | nā’satō vidyatē bhāvō nā’bhāvō vidyatē sataḥ || 26 ||
Translation
If the seen world exists, it is never quieted for anyone: what is not has no being, and what is never ceases to be.
Word by word
- jagad
- the world
- dṛśyaṁ
- seen
- tu
- but
- yadi
- if
- asti
- exists
- na
- never
- śāmyati
- is quieted
- ēva
- indeed
- kasyacit
- for anyone
- asatō
- (asataḥ) of what is not
- vidyatē
- there is
- bhāvō
- (bhāvaḥ) being
- abhāvō
- (abhāvaḥ) ceasing
- sataḥ
- of what is
Meaning
The second half is the Gītā's own line (2.16). The commentary: if the world had real being, it would never cease for anyone, since the unreal never comes to be and the real never stops being; that is a rule that cannot be broken. So the one who hopes for freedom must hold the world to be unreal; a real bondage could never be undone.