1.39
कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभिः पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम् ।
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन ॥
kathaṃ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum
kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ prapaśyadbhir janārdana
The other half of 1.38. "How should we not know to turn back."
The verse
How should we not know to turn back from this sin, we who do see the wrong in destroying a family, Janārdana (जनार्दन)?
नेपालीमा
कुल नाशमा रहेको दोष देख्ने हामीले यो पापबाट फर्किनुपर्छ भनेर कसरी नजानौं, हे जनार्दन।
Where it sits
The pair he wants is complete. They do not see, because of greed. We see. Therefore turning back is the thing to be known. nivartitum (निवर्तितुम्) means to turn away, to desist. He is asking to leave. The chariot is standing in the middle of both armies because he asked, in 1.21, for a better view. He is now using that view as the reason to quit.
Split: कथम् + न + ज्ञेयम् + अस्माभिः + पापात् + अस्मात् + निवर्तितुम् + कुल-क्षय-कृतम् + दोषम् + प्रपश्यद्भिः + जनार्दन
katham + na + jñeyam + asmābhiḥ + pāpāt + asmāt + nivartitum + kula-kṣaya-kṛtam + doṣam + prapaśyadbhiḥ + janārdana
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| कथम् | katham | indeclinable | how. |
| ज्ञेयम् | jñeyam | gerundive, neuter | to be known. The thing one ought to recognize. |
| अस्माभिः | asmābhiḥ | instrumental plural | by us. |
| पापात् | pāpāt | ablative | from sin, from this evil. |
| अस्मात् | asmāt | ablative of idam (इदम्) | from this. |
| निवर्तितुम् | nivartitum | infinitive | to turn back. |
| प्रपश्यद्भिः | prapaśyadbhiḥ | instrumental plural of the participle | by those who see clearly. |
| जनार्दन | janārdana | vocative | Janārdana (जनार्दन). |
The phrases
कथम् न ज्ञेयम् अस्माभिः katham na jñeyam asmābhiḥ is the question. How is it not to be recognized by us. The gerundive plus the instrumental is "how should we fail to know."
पापाद् अस्मात् निवर्तितुम् pāpād asmāt nivartitum is what is to be known: to turn back from this sin. Two ablatives, pāpāt (पापात्) and asmāt (अस्मात्), the sin and "this." पापात् + अस्मात् pāpāt + asmāt is recited पापाद् अस्मात् pāpād asmāt, because t (त्) before a vowel becomes d (द्). Then अस्मात् + नि asmāt + ni becomes asmān ni (अस्मान् नि).
kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ prapaśyadbhiḥ (कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिः) ties the knowers to 1.38's object. By us who see clearly that family-destroying wrong. The participle is instrumental plural, agreeing with asmābhiḥ (अस्माभिः). Same people. prapaśyadbhiḥ janārdana (प्रपश्यद्भिः जनार्दन) is recited prapaśyadbhir janārdana (प्रपश्यद्भिर् जनार्दन).
Sanskrit in this line
jñeyam (ज्ञेयम्) is the gerundive of jñā (ज्ञा), "know." Like yoddhavyam (योद्धव्यम्) in 1.22, it says "this is to be done," here "this is to be known." With asmābhiḥ (अस्माभिः), "by us." With katham na (कथम् न), "how is it not." The construction is a shaming question. It expects no answer except agreement.
asmābhiḥ (अस्माभिः) is "by us," instrumental plural of aham (अहम्). You had mayā (मया), "by me," in 1.22. vayam (वयम्) was the nominative in 1.37. This is the instrumental of that same "we." Three forms of "we," three jobs: vayam (वयम्) as subject, naḥ (नः) as "for us," asmābhiḥ (अस्माभिः) as "by us."
Say it back
Close 1.38's "even if." What should we know to do, and why we, unlike them.