2.17
अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।
विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति ॥
avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṃ tatam
vināśam avyayasyāsya na kaścit kartum arhati
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) continues, and this is the first command of the teaching that says "know."
The verse
Know that to be indestructible by which all this is spread; no one is able to make the destruction of this imperishable.
नेपालीमा
जसद्वारा यो सब फैलिएको छ त्यो अविनाशी हो भनी जान। यस अव्ययको नाश गर्न कोही सक्षम छैन।
Where it sits
viddhi (विद्धि) is a different command from the uttiṣṭha (उत्तिष्ठ) of 2.3: he is told to know the thing that does not perish. The next verse says which things end, and then tells him to fight.
Split: अविनाशि + तु + तत् + विद्धि + येन + सर्वम् + इदम् + ततम् + विनाशम् + अव्ययस्य + अस्य + न + कश्चित् + कर्तुम् + अर्हति
avināśi + tu + tat + viddhi + yena + sarvam + idam + tatam + vināśam + avyayasya + asya + na + kaścit + kartum + arhati
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अविनाशि | avināśi | accusative neuter of avināśin (अविनाशिन्) | indestructible. |
| तु | tu | indeclinable | and. |
| तत् | tat | accusative neuter | that. |
| विद्धि | viddhi | imperative, 2nd singular of vid (विद्) | know. |
| येन | yena | instrumental | by which. |
| सर्वम् | sarvam | nominative neuter | all. |
| इदम् | idam | nominative neuter | this. |
| ततम् | tatam | nominative neuter | spread, stretched through. Past participle of tan (तन्). |
| विनाशम् | vināśam | accusative | destruction. |
| अव्ययस्य | avyayasya | genitive | of the imperishable. a- (अ-) on vyaya (व्यय). |
| अस्य | asya | genitive | of this. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| कश्चित् | kaścit | nominative | anyone. kaḥ (कः) plus cit (चित्). |
| कर्तुम् | kartum | infinitive of kṛ (कृ) | to do, to make. |
| अर्हति | arhati | present, 3rd singular | is able. |
The phrases
avināśi tu tat viddhi (अविनाशि तु तत् विद्धि) is the command. Know that to be indestructible. तत् + विद्धि tat + viddhi is tad viddhi (तद्विद्धि), because त् + व् t + v becomes dv (द्व्).
येन सर्वम् इदम् ततम् yena sarvam idam tatam is which "that." By which all this is spread. yena (येन) is instrumental of means. सर्वम् इदम् sarvam idam is recited sarvam idam (सर्वमिदम्).
विनाशम् अव्ययस्य अस्य न कश्चित् कर्तुम् अर्हति vināśam avyayasya asya na kaścit kartum arhati is what no one can do. No one is able to make the destruction of this imperishable. अव्ययस्य + अस्य avyayasya + asya is avyayasyāsya (अव्ययस्यास्य). कर्तुम् + अर्हति kartum + arhati is kartum arhati (कर्तुमर्हति).
Sanskrit in this line
yena (येन) is instrumental singular of ya (य), "by which." It does not mean "where" and it does not mean "who" in the nominative. The thing known is tat (तत्), called avināśi (अविनाशि). yena (येन) tells how that thing stands to सर्वम् इदम् sarvam idam: all this is tatam (ततम्), spread, by it. Keep the instrument separate from the object of viddhi (विद्धि).
Say it back
What to know, and what no one can do to it. yena (येन) has to stay instrumental.