2.40
नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते ।
स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात् ॥
nehābhikramanāśo 'sti pratyavāyo na vidyate
svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is speaking.
The verse
Here no undertaking is lost, and no falling back is found; even a little of this dharma saves from great fear.
नेपालीमा
यहाँ कुनै थालनी खेर जाँदैन, र पछि हट्नु पाइँदैन। यस धर्मको अलिकतिले पनि ठूलो डरबाट बचाउँछ।
Where it sits
He has just asked Arjuna (अर्जुन) to hear the buddhi in yoga, and before defining it he says the hearing is not wasted. A step begun in this dharma is not cancelled, and a little of it already protects.
Split: न + इह + अभिक्रम-नाशः + अस्ति + प्रत्यवायः + न + विद्यते + स्वल्पम् + अपि + अस्य + धर्मस्य + त्रायते + महतः + भयात्
na + iha + abhikrama-nāśaḥ + asti + pratyavāyaḥ + na + vidyate + svalpam + api + asya + dharmasya + trāyate + mahataḥ + bhayāt
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| इह | iha | indeclinable | here. In this yoga. |
| अभिक्रम-नाशः | abhikrama-nāśaḥ | nominative | loss of what has been begun. abhikrama (अभिक्रम) is the undertaking. |
| अस्ति | asti | present, 3rd singular | there is. |
| प्रत्यवायः | pratyavāyaḥ | nominative | a reverse, a falling back. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| विद्यते | vidyate | present, 3rd singular, middle | is found. |
| स्वल्पम् | svalpam | nominative neuter | a very little. |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | even. |
| अस्य | asya | genitive | of this. |
| धर्मस्य | dharmasya | genitive | of the dharma. |
| त्रायते | trāyate | present, 3rd singular, middle | protects, saves. From trai (त्रै). |
| महतः | mahataḥ | ablative of mahat (महत्) | from great. |
| भयात् | bhayāt | ablative | from fear. |
The phrases
neha abhikramanāśaḥ asti (नेह अभिक्रमनाशः अस्ति) is the first denial. Here there is no loss of what you have begun. न + इह na + iha is recited neha (नेह).
pratyavāyaḥ na vidyate (प्रत्यवायः न विद्यते) is the second. No reverse is found. The ḥ (ः) of pratyavāyaḥ (प्रत्यवायः) has become o (ओ) before the voiced n (न्): pratyavāyo (प्रत्यवायो).
स्वल्पम् अपि अस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते svalpam api asya dharmasya trāyate is the positive sentence. Even a little of this dharma protects. svalpam (स्वल्पम्) is the subject. dharmasya (धर्मस्य) says of which dharma.
mahataḥ bhayāt (महतः भयात्) is what it protects from. Two ablatives, adjective and noun: from great fear.
Sanskrit in this line
नाशः + अस्ति nāśaḥ + asti is recited nāśo 'sti (नाशोऽस्ति). अः + अ aḥ + a becomes o (ओ), and the a (अ) of asti (अस्ति) drops. The mark ऽ is that dropped a (अ). It is not a sound. Split nāśaḥ asti (नाशः अस्ति), and recite nāśo 'sti (नाशोऽस्ति).
Say it back
The two things that are not found here, then the little that still protects. If abhikramanāśaḥ (अभिक्रमनाशः) comes out as "the action failed," stay here.