2.45
त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन ।
निर्द्वन्द्वो नित्यसत्त्वस्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान् ॥
traiguṇyaviṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna
nirdvandvo nityasattvastho niryogakṣema ātmavān
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
The Vedas (वेद) have the three qualities as their subject; be free of the three, Arjuna (अर्जुन) — free of the pairs, standing always in sattva (सत्त्व), free of getting and keeping, possessed of the self.
नेपालीमा
वेदहरूको विषय तीन गुण हुन्। हे अर्जुन, तीन गुणबाट मुक्त होऊ, जोडीबाट मुक्त, सधैँ सत्त्वमा उभिएको, लिनु र राख्नुबाट मुक्त, आत्मा भएको।
Where it sits
He does not throw the Veda (वेद) out: he says its subject is the three qualities, and he tells Arjuna (अर्जुन) to stand outside that subject. The next verse will say what use the Vedas (वेद) still have for a man who knows.
Split: त्रैगुण्य-विषयाः + वेदाः + निः-त्रैगुण्यः + भव + अर्जुन + निः-द्वन्द्वः + नित्य-सत्त्व-स्थः + निः-योग-क्षेमः + आत्मवान्
traiguṇya-viṣayāḥ + vedāḥ + niḥ-traiguṇyaḥ + bhava + arjuna + niḥ-dvandvaḥ + nitya-sattva-sthaḥ + niḥ-yoga-kṣemaḥ + ātmavān
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| त्रैगुण्य-विषयाः | traiguṇya-viṣayāḥ | nominative plural | having the three guṇas (गुण) as their subject. |
| वेदाः | vedāḥ | nominative plural | the Vedas (वेद). |
| निः-त्रैगुण्यः | niḥ-traiguṇyaḥ | nominative | free of the three guṇas (गुण). |
| भव | bhava | imperative, 2nd singular | be. |
| अर्जुन | arjuna | vocative | Arjuna (अर्जुन). |
| निः-द्वन्द्वः | niḥ-dvandvaḥ | nominative | free of the pairs. |
| नित्य-सत्त्व-स्थः | nitya-sattva-sthaḥ | nominative | standing always in sattva (सत्त्व), the clear quality. |
| निः-योग-क्षेमः | niḥ-yoga-kṣemaḥ | nominative | free of getting and of keeping. |
| आत्मवान् | ātmavān | nominative of ātmavat (आत्मवत्) | possessed of the self. |
The phrases
traiguṇyaviṣayā vedāḥ (त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदाः) is the diagnosis. The Vedas (वेद) have the three qualities as their range. The ḥ (ः) of vedāḥ (वेदाः) drops before niḥ (निः), so you hear vedā nis (वेदा निस्).
nistraiguṇyaḥ bhava (निस्त्रैगुण्यः भव) is the order. Be free of that range. भव + अर्जुन bhava + arjuna is recited bhavārjuna (भवार्जुन), because अ + अ a + a becomes ā (आ). The ḥ (ः) of nistraiguṇyaḥ (निस्त्रैगुण्यः) has become o (ओ) before the voiced bh (भ्).
nirdvandvaḥ nityasattvasthaḥ niryogakṣemaḥ ātmavān (निर्द्वन्द्वः नित्यसत्त्वस्थः निर्योगक्षेमः आत्मवान्) is the same order, four more nominatives on the man he is to be. Free of the pairs. Standing always in sattva (सत्त्व). Free of getting and keeping. Possessed of the self. Each aḥ (अः) before a voiced consonant is recited as o (ओ): nirdvandvo (निर्द्वन्द्वो), nityasattvastho (नित्यसत्त्वस्थो).
Sanskrit in this line
niḥ (निः) on the front of a noun means "without, out of." It is not the verb. niḥ-traiguṇyaḥ (निः-त्रैगुण्यः) is "without the three qualities." niḥ-dvandvaḥ (निः-द्वन्द्वः) is "without the pairs." niḥ-yoga-kṣemaḥ (निः-योग-क्षेमः) is "without yoga (योग) and without kṣema (क्षेम)." In this compound yoga (योग) means getting what you do not have, and kṣema (क्षेम) means keeping what you have. It is not the yoga he is about to define. Before a voiced consonant niḥ (निः) is recited nir (निर्). Before the voiceless t (त्) of traiguṇya (त्रैगुण्य) it is recited nis (निस्).
One more sound, or the line loses a syllable. क्षेमः + आत्मवान् kṣemaḥ + ātmavān is printed niryogakṣema ātmavān (निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान्), with both vowels heard. If the a (अ) were swallowed into the ā (आ), the quarter would have seven syllables. Do not "fix" it into kṣemātmavān (क्षेमात्मवान्).
Say it back
What the Vedas (वेद) have as their subject, then the five ways he is told to be. If niryogakṣemaḥ (निर्योगक्षेमः) comes out as "without the yoga of 2.48," stay here.