2.7
कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः ।
यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् ॥
kārpaṇyadoṣopahatasvabhāvaḥ pṛcchāmi tvāṃ dharmasammūḍhacetāḥ
yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṃ brūhi tan me śiṣyas te 'haṃ śādhi māṃ tvāṃ prapannam
Arjuna continues, in four quarters of eleven, and this verse is the request. Meter: triṣṭubh (त्रिष्टुभ्). Four quarters, eleven syllables each, forty-four in the verse.
The verse
My nature struck by the fault of this pinched helplessness, my mind bewildered about dharma (धर्म), I ask you: tell me for certain what would be better; I am your student, instruct me, who have come to you for refuge.
नेपालीमा
यो साँघुरो असहायताको दोषले मेरो स्वभाव आहत भएको छ, धर्मबारे मन अलमलिएको छ। म तपाईंलाई सोध्छु, के राम्रो हुन्छ निश्चित गरेर भनिदिनुहोस्। म तपाईंको शिष्य हुँ, शरणमा आएको मलाई सिकाउनुहोस्।
Where it sits
Inside the friend's stretch, he stops deciding śreyas (श्रेयस्) for himself and asks to be told. He is still on the seat, and he has not said he will fight.
Split: कार्पण्य-दोष-उपहत-स्वभावः + पृच्छामि + त्वाम् + धर्म-सम्मूढ-चेताः + यत् + श्रेयः + स्यात् + निश्चितम् + ब्रूहि + तत् + मे + शिष्यः + ते + अहम् + शाधि + माम् + त्वाम् + प्रपन्नम्
kārpaṇya-doṣa-upahata-svabhāvaḥ + pṛcchāmi + tvām + dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ + yat + śreyaḥ + syāt + niścitam + brūhi + tat + me + śiṣyaḥ + te + aham + śādhi + mām + tvām + prapannam
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| कार्पण्य-दोष-उपहत-स्वभावः | kārpaṇya-doṣa-upahata-svabhāvaḥ | nominative, bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) | whose own nature is struck by the fault of a pinched helplessness. kārpaṇya (कार्पण्य) is the state of a kṛpaṇa (कृपण). |
| पृच्छामि | pṛcchāmi | present, 1st singular of प्रच्छ् prach | I ask. |
| त्वाम् | tvām | accusative | you. |
| धर्म-सम्मूढ-चेताः | dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ | nominative, bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) | whose mind is bewildered about dharma (धर्म). cetas (चेतस्) in a bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) makes the nominative cetāḥ (चेताः). |
| यत् | yat | nominative neuter | what. The relative. |
| श्रेयः | śreyaḥ | nominative neuter | the better. |
| स्यात् | syāt | optative, 3rd singular | it would be. |
| निश्चितम् | niścitam | accusative neuter | decided, certain. |
| ब्रूहि | brūhi | imperative, 2nd singular of brū (ब्रू) | tell. |
| तत् | tat | accusative neuter | that. Answers yat (यत्). |
| मे | me | dative enclitic | to me. |
| शिष्यः | śiṣyaḥ | nominative | a student. |
| ते | te | genitive enclitic | your. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| शाधि | śādhi | imperative, 2nd singular of śās (शास्) | instruct. Direct me. |
| माम् | mām | accusative | me. |
| त्वाम् | tvām | accusative | you. The one come to. |
| प्रपन्नम् | prapannam | accusative | come for refuge. Agrees with mām (माम्). |
The phrases
kārpaṇyadoṣopahatasvabhāvaḥ pṛcchāmi tvām (कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः पृच्छामि त्वाम्) is the asker. My own nature struck by the fault of this pinched helplessness, I ask you. दोष + उपहत doṣa + upahata is doṣopahata (दोषोपहत), because अ + उ a + u becomes o (ओ). dharmasammūḍhacetāḥ (धर्मसम्मूढचेताः) is the same man a second way: mind bewildered about dharma (धर्म). He is naming the pity of 2.1 as a defect.
yat śreyaḥ syāt niścitam brūhi tat me (यत् श्रेयः स्यात् निश्चितम् ब्रूहि तत् मे) is what he asks to be told. What would be the better thing — tell that to me as decided. यत् + श्रेयः yat + śreyaḥ is yac chreyaḥ (यच्छ्रेयः). स्यात् + निश्चितम् syāt + niścitam is syān niścitam (स्यान्निश्चितम्). तत् + मे tat + me is tan me (तन्मे).
śiṣyaḥ te aham śādhi mām tvām prapannam (शिष्यः ते अहम् शाधि माम् त्वाम् प्रपन्नम्) is the handing over. I am your student. Instruct me, who have come to you. शिष्यः + ते śiṣyaḥ + te is śiṣyas te (शिष्यस् ते). ते + अहम् te + aham is te 'ham (तेऽहम्).
Sanskrit in this line
यत् + श्रेयः yat + śreyaḥ is recited yac chreyaḥ (यच्छ्रेयः). t (त्) before ś (श्) becomes c (च्), and ś (श्) becomes ch (छ्). You hear cch (च्छ्), and the relative yat (यत्) is inside it. The same change returns whenever a t (त्) meets śoka (शोक) or śreyas (श्रेयस्).
Say it back
What he asks to be told, and śiṣyas te 'ham (शिष्यस्तेऽहम्). If śiṣyaḥ (शिष्यः) is missing, he has only described the misery.