2.41
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन ।
बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम् ॥
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kurunandana
bahuśākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is speaking, to Kurunandana (कुरुनन्दन).
The verse
Here the buddhi of resolve is one, joy of the Kurus; the understandings of the unresolved are many-branched and endless.
नेपालीमा
यहाँ निश्चयको बुद्धि एउटै हो, हे कुरुहरूका आनन्द। अनिश्चितहरूका बुझाइ धेरै हाँगा भएका र अन्त नभएका छन्।
Where it sits
The yoga he has just promised is one resolve, not a heap of aims. The next verses will show the many-branched speech he is setting aside, the speech that runs after heaven, rites, and enjoyment.
Split: व्यवसाय-आत्मिका + बुद्धिः + एका + इह + कुरु-नन्दन + बहु-शाखाः + हि + अनन्ताः + च + बुद्धयः + अव्यवसायिनाम्
vyavasāya-ātmikā + buddhiḥ + ekā + iha + kuru-nandana + bahu-śākhāḥ + hi + anantāḥ + ca + buddhayaḥ + avyavasāyinām
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| व्यवसाय-आत्मिका | vyavasāya-ātmikā | nominative feminine | whose nature is resolve. vyavasāya (व्यवसाय) is a settled decision. |
| बुद्धिः | buddhiḥ | nominative | the buddhi. |
| एका | ekā | nominative feminine | one, single. |
| इह | iha | indeclinable | here. |
| कुरु-नन्दन | kuru-nandana | vocative | joy of the Kurus. Arjuna (अर्जुन). |
| बहु-शाखाः | bahu-śākhāḥ | nominative plural feminine | many-branched. |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | indeed. |
| अनन्ताः | anantāḥ | nominative plural feminine | endless. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| बुद्धयः | buddhayaḥ | nominative plural | understandings. The plural of buddhi (बुद्धि). |
| अव्यवसायिनाम् | avyavasāyinām | genitive plural | of those who have no resolve. |
The phrases
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ ekā iha (व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः एका इह) is the buddhi he wants. Here, the understanding whose nature is resolve is one. ekā (एका) agrees with buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः). kurunandana (कुरुनन्दन) is the name in the middle of the line.
bahuśākhāḥ hi anantāḥ ca buddhayaḥ (बहुशाखाः हि अनन्ताः च बुद्धयः) is the other kind. Many-branched, and endless. The plural buddhayaḥ (बुद्धयः) is doing the work that ekā (एका) did above. One against many.
avyavasāyinām (अव्यवसायिनाम्) says whose understandings those are. The genitive plural is "of the unresolved." The ḥ (ः) of buddhayaḥ (बुद्धयः) before a (अ) has become o (ओ) with the avagraha: buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām (बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम्).
Sanskrit in this line
एका + इह ekā + iha is recited ekeha (एकेह), inside buddhir ekeha (बुद्धिरेकेह). आ + इ ā + i becomes e (ए). The ekā (एका) is still in there. buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः) before that vowel has become बुद्धिर buddhir: the ḥ (ः) after i (इ) becomes r (र्) before a vowel.
Say it back
Which buddhi is one, and whose understandings are endless. If ekā (एका) comes out as "first," stay here.