2.21
वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम् ।
कथं स पुरुषः पार्थ कं घातयति हन्ति कम् ॥
vedāvināśinaṃ nityaṃ ya enam ajam avyayam
kathaṃ sa puruṣaḥ pārtha kaṃ ghātayati hanti kam
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) continues, pārtha (पार्थ) is Arjuna, and katham (कथम्) turns back the question Arjuna asked in 2.4.
The verse
The man who knows this one as indestructible, eternal, unborn, and imperishable — how, son of Pṛthā (पृथा), does he cause anyone to be killed, or whom does he kill?
नेपालीमा
यसलाई अविनाशी, नित्य, अजन्मा र क्षय नहुने भनी जान्ने मानिसले, हे पृथाका छोरा, कसरी कसैलाई मर्न लगाउँछ, वा कसलाई मार्छ।
Where it sits
If this one is known as 2.20 says, "whom do I kill" does not stand as it stood when he named Bhīṣma (भीष्म) and Droṇa (द्रोण). The knower has no whom, and "your dharma is the battle" is still ahead.
Split: वेद + अविनाशिनम् + नित्यम् + यः + एनम् + अजम् + अव्ययम् + कथम् + सः + पुरुषः + पार्थ + कम् + घातयति + हन्ति + कम्
veda + avināśinam + nityam + yaḥ + enam + ajam + avyayam + katham + saḥ + puruṣaḥ + pārtha + kam + ghātayati + hanti + kam
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| वेद | veda | present, 3rd singular of vid (विद्) | he knows. |
| अविनाशिनम् | avināśinam | accusative | indestructible. |
| नित्यम् | nityam | accusative | eternal. |
| यः | yaḥ | nominative | who. |
| एनम् | enam | accusative | this one. |
| अजम् | ajam | accusative | unborn. |
| अव्ययम् | avyayam | accusative | imperishable. |
| कथम् | katham | indeclinable | how. |
| सः | saḥ | nominative | he. |
| पुरुषः | puruṣaḥ | nominative | the man. |
| पार्थ | pārtha | vocative | son of Pṛthā (पृथा). |
| कम् | kam | accusative | whom. |
| घातयति | ghātayati | present, 3rd singular, causative of han (हन्) | he causes to kill. |
| हन्ति | hanti | present, 3rd singular | he kills. |
| कम् | kam | accusative | whom. |
The phrases
यः एनम् अविनाशिनम् नित्यम् अजम् अव्ययम् वेद yaḥ enam avināśinam nityam ajam avyayam veda is the knower. Who knows this one as indestructible, eternal, unborn, imperishable. The verb stands first in the line: वेद + अविनाशिनम् veda + avināśinam is vedāvināśinam (वेदाविनाशिनम्). यः + एनम् yaḥ + enam is ya enam (य एनम्), as in 2.19. एनम् अजम् अव्ययम् enam ajam avyayam is recited enam ajam avyayam (एनमजमव्ययम्).
katham saḥ puruṣaḥ pārtha kam ghātayati hanti kam (कथम् सः पुरुषः पार्थ कम् घातयति हन्ति कम्) is the question. How, Pārtha (पार्थ), does that man cause someone to kill, or kill anyone? saḥ (सः) before the consonant of puruṣaḥ (पुरुषः) loses its visarga: sa puruṣaḥ (स पुरुषः).
Sanskrit in this line
saḥ (सः) before a consonant drops its visarga. katham saḥ puruṣaḥ (कथम् सः पुरुषः) is recited kathaṃ sa puruṣaḥ (कथं स पुरुषः). This is special to saḥ (सः) and eṣaḥ (एषः). puruṣaḥ (पुरुषः) in the same line keeps its visarga before pārtha (पार्थ), because it is not that pronoun. Do not strip every visarga you see before a consonant. Strip this one.
Say it back
The four things he knows this one to be, and the two verbs, kills and causes to kill.