The visible life is a part of a long flow.

Existence does not appear before it is born, and it does not manifest in human senses. While alive, it becomes visible through the body, and after death, it disappears from our senses again. The period during which we see "this person" is only a part of a long flow.

The current connection with the physical body creates a visible beginning and end. If we believe that only the manifested form is all of existence, then death appears as complete annihilation. However, if we consider the periods before and after the connection with the physical body to be non-manifested, then it becomes clear that ceasing to perceive through the senses and the cessation of existence itself are distinct concepts.

Japanese Translation from the Gita Press Edition - Chapter 2, Section 28: "It is non-existent both before and after."

In the previous sections, it has been shown from both perspectives – that of viewing the soul as eternal, uncreated, and immortal, and that of viewing the soul as constantly subject to birth and death – that grief is irrational and inappropriate.

In the next section, it will be demonstrated that even with regard to the gross physical body, grief cannot be justified by reason.

Sanskrit original text

अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत ।
अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना ॥ २८ ॥

Romanization

avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyaktamadhyāni bhārata |
avyaktanidhanāny eva tatra kā paridevanā || 28 ||

Arjuna, before creation, beings do not appear in our human perception. In death, they return to non-existence. They only manifest between birth and death. Then, what is the reason for lamenting? (28)

In this section, the word "Bhūtāni" refers to existence in general. The adjective "Avyaktādīni" is added to it, which indicates that before birth, these things were not yet connected.

Here, the term "connection" refers to the connection with the current physical body. The word Avyaktanidhanāni indicates that even at the end, i.e., after death, they do not maintain this connection with the gross physical body. The word Vyaktamadhyāni expresses the idea that during the intermediate period, namely from birth to death, they manifest and maintain a relationship with the body.

"Then, what reason could there be for lamenting?" This phrase suggests that the speaker is about to say:

Just as the world of dreams exists only during the dream itself, and not before or after it, and a dreamer seems to relate to it only during that period, so too, people have no reason to lament about the body with which they are connected, except for the intermediate stage.

This is because that connection is not permanent.

In Chapter 2 of the section on women in the "Mahabharata," Vidura also expresses similar feelings.

"Those things that you currently consider to be your own, came from an invisible state. In other words, they did not exist before birth, and will return to a non-existent state again. Therefore, in reality, they are not yours, and you are not theirs either. So, what reason is there for lamenting?"