Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2/Verse 29

आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेनमाश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः ।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित् ॥२- २९॥

āścaryavatpaśyati kaścidenamāścaryavadvadati tathaiva cānyaḥ ।
āścaryavaccainamanyaḥ śṛṇoti śrutvāpyenaṃ veda na caiva kaścit ॥2- 29॥

Someone sees this [indestructible] as marvelous and also another speaks [of this indestructible] as marvelous, and another hears of this [indestructible] as marvelous. And even having heard, no one knows this [indestructible]. 


Word-for-word translation

āścaryavat (adjective) (accusative, singular) = marvelous 

paśyati (present tense, 3rd person, singular) = one sees

kaścit (adverb) (indeclinable) = someone

enam (pronoun, 3rd person, accusative, singular) = this

āścaryavat (adjective) (accusative, singular) = marvelous 

vadati (present tense, 3rd person, singular) = one speaks 

tathā (adverb) (indeclinable) = also

eva (indeclinable) = (emphatic particle, emphasizes preceding word) 

ca (conjunction) (indeclinable) = and

anyas (adjective) (nominative, singular) = another

āścaryavat (adjective) (accusative, singular) = marvelous 

ca (conjunction) (indeclinable) = and

enam (pronoun, 3rd person, accusative, singular) = this

anyas (adjective) (nominative, singular) = another

śṛṇoti (present tense, 3rd person, singular) = one hears

śrutvā (gerund) (indeclinable) = having heard

api (adverb) (indeclinable) = even

enam (pronoun, 3rd person, accusative, singular) = this

veda (irregular verb in the perfect tense, but refers to the present tense, 3rd person, singular) = one knows

na (adverb) (indeclinable) = not

ca (conjunction) (indeclinable) = and

eva (adverb) (indeclinable) = (emphatic particle, emphasizing preceding word)

kaścit (adverb) (indeclinable) = anyone


Commentary

There are two main interpretations of this verse surrounding the adjective "āścaryavat". One interpretation, including mine, sees "āścaryavat" as an adjective of the pronoun "enam". Other interpretations sees "āścaryavat" as a noun. The ambiguity arises due to the the neuter gender of the word, "āścaryavat", that has the same singular number declensions for the nominative and accusative cases. If the word was masculine or feminine in gender, then there would be no ambiguity.