Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 28

English Translation

O descendant of Bharata, all beings remain unmanifest in the beginning;; they become manifest in the middle. After death they certainly become unmanifest. What lamentation can there be with regard to them?

Detailed Commentary

।।2.28।। Explanation: 'Avyaktādīni bhūtāni' — All beings (bodies, etc.) that come into perception through sight, hearing, and understanding, were unmanifest before birth, meaning they were not visible. 'Avyaktanidhanānyeva' — All these beings will become unmanifest after death, meaning upon their dissolution, they will go into 'non-being' and will not be visible. 'Vyaktamadhyāni' — All these beings manifest in the middle, meaning after birth and before death. Just as a dream did not exist before sleep and does not remain upon waking, similarly, the bodies of these beings did not exist before and will not exist later. However, even while appearing in the middle, they are actually being destroyed every moment. 'Tatra kā paridevanā' — That which does not exist in the beginning and in the end, does not truly exist in the middle either — this is the principle. The bodies of all beings did not exist before and will not exist later; therefore, in reality, they do not exist even in the middle. But this Sharīrī (embodied Self) existed before and will exist later; therefore, it exists in the middle as well. The conclusion is that bodies are perpetually non-existent, and the Sharīrī is never non-existent. Therefore, there can be no lamentation for either of these. Context: Now Bhagavan describes the transcendental nature of the Sharīrī.