2.6
न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः ।
यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषामस्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas te 'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
Arjuna continues, and the bind is stated. Meter: upajāti (उपजाति). The first quarter has twelve syllables, jagatī (जगती): na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo (न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो). The second has twelve: yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ (यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः). The last two have eleven, triṣṭubh (त्रिष्टुभ्).
The verse
And we do not know which of the two is weightier for us, whether we should conquer or they should conquer us; those very sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (धृतराष्ट्र), having killed whom we would not wish to live, are standing in front.
नेपालीमा
र हामीलाई दुईमध्ये कुन बढी गह्रौं हो भन्ने थाहा छैन, हामीले जित्नु कि उनीहरूले हामीलाई जित्नु। धृतराष्ट्रका ती छोराहरू नै अगाडि उभिएका छन्, जसलाई मारेपछि हामी बाँच्न चाहँदैनौं।
Where it sits
Winning and losing are both unweighable, because the men in front are the men he does not want to live past. The next verse turns that bind into a request.
Split: न + च + एतत् + विद्मः + कतरत् + नः + गरीयः + यत् + वा + जयेम + यदि + वा + नः + जयेयुः + यान् + एव + हत्वा + न + जिजीविषामः + ते + अवस्थिताः + प्रमुखे + धार्तराष्ट्राः
na + ca + etat + vidmaḥ + katarat + naḥ + garīyaḥ + yat + vā + jayema + yadi + vā + naḥ + jayeyuḥ + yān + eva + hatvā + na + jijīviṣāmaḥ + te + avasthitāḥ + pramukhe + dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| एतत् | etat | accusative neuter | this. |
| विद्मः | vidmaḥ | present, 1st plural of vid (विद्) | we know. |
| कतरत् | katarat | nominative neuter | which of the two. |
| नः | naḥ | enclitic, dative | for us. |
| गरीयः | garīyaḥ | nominative neuter of garīyas (गरीयस्) | the weightier. Comparative of guru (गुरु). |
| यत् | yat | indeclinable here | whether. |
| वा | vā | indeclinable | or. |
| जयेम | jayema | optative, 1st plural of ji (जि) | we might conquer. |
| यदि | yadi | indeclinable | if. |
| वा | vā | indeclinable | or. |
| नः | naḥ | enclitic, accusative | us. |
| जयेयुः | jayeyuḥ | optative, 3rd plural of ji (जि) | they might conquer. |
| यान् | yān | accusative plural | whom. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | the very ones. |
| हत्वा | hatvā | gerund | having killed. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| जिजीविषामः | jijīviṣāmaḥ | desiderative, 1st plural of jīv (जीव्) | we wish to live. |
| ते | te | nominative plural | they. |
| अवस्थिताः | avasthitāḥ | nominative plural | standing. |
| प्रमुखे | pramukhe | locative | in front, before the face. |
| धार्तराष्ट्राः | dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ | nominative plural | the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (धृतराष्ट्र). |
The phrases
na ca etat vidmaḥ katarat naḥ garīyaḥ (न च एतत् विद्मः कतरत् नः गरीयः) is the ignorance. And we do not know which of the two is the weightier for us. च + एतत् ca + etat is caitat (चैतत्). एतत् + विद्मः etat + vidmaḥ is etad vidmaḥ (एतद्विद्मः), because त् + व् t + v becomes dv (द्व्). कतरत् + नः katarat + naḥ is kataran naḥ (कतरन् नः), and naḥ (नः) before the voiced g (ग्) of garīyaḥ (गरीयः) is no (नो). You hear kataranno garīyo (कतरन्नो गरीयो).
yat vā jayema yadi vā naḥ jayeyuḥ (यत् वा जयेम यदि वा नः जयेयुः) is the pair he cannot weigh. Whether we should conquer, or whether they should conquer us. यत् + वा yat + vā is yad vā (यद्वा). naḥ (नः) before j (ज्) is no (नो).
यान् एव हत्वा न जिजीविषामः ते अवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmaḥ te avasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ is who is standing there. The very ones, having killed whom we do not wish to live, are standing in front: the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (धृतराष्ट्र). yān (यान्) and te (ते) are the relative and its answer. जिजीविषामः + ते jijīviṣāmaḥ + te is jijīviṣāmas te (जिजीविषामस् ते). ते + अवस्थिताः te + avasthitāḥ is te 'vasthitāḥ (तेऽवस्थिताः).
Sanskrit in this line
jijīviṣāmaḥ (जिजीविषामः) is a desiderative, "we wish to live." jīv (जीव्) reduplicates as jijīv (जिजीव्), and the desiderative suffix --sa (स) makes jijīviṣa (जिजीविष). The ending --maḥ (मः) is first person plural. It is not a future and not an optative. jayema (जयेम) and jayeyuḥ (जयेयुः) in the same verse are the optatives. Keep the wish-to-live separate from the "might conquer."
Say it back
The two outcomes he cannot weigh, and who is standing in front. The desiderative has to be audible.