3.1
अर्जुन उवाच
ज्यायसी चेत्कर्मणस्ते मता बुद्धिर्जनार्दन ।
तत्किं कर्मणि घोरे मां नियोजयसि केशव ॥
arjuna uvāca
jyāyasī cet karmaṇas te matā buddhir janārdana
tat kiṃ karmaṇi ghore māṃ niyojayasi keśava
Arjuna (अर्जुन) is speaking, to Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण).
The verse
Arjuna (अर्जुन) said: If you hold the buddhi superior to action, Janārdana (जनार्दन), why do you yoke me to this terrible action, Keśava (केशव)?
नेपालीमा
अर्जुनले भने, हे जनार्दन, यदि तपाईं बुद्धिलाई कर्मभन्दा श्रेष्ठ मान्नुहुन्छ भने, हे केशव, मलाई यो भयानक कर्ममा किन जोड्नुहुन्छ।
Where it sits
This question opens the chapter: the buddhi has been set above the act, and the fight in front of him now looks like a contradiction. The next verse says the speech sounds mixed.
Split: ज्यायसी + चेत् + कर्मणः + ते + मता + बुद्धिः + जनार्दन + तत् + किम् + कर्मणि + घोरे + माम् + नियोजयसि + केशव
jyāyasī + cet + karmaṇaḥ + te + matā + buddhiḥ + janārdana + tat + kim + karmaṇi + ghore + mām + niyojayasi + keśava
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| ज्यायसी | jyāyasī | nominative feminine of jyāyas (ज्यायस्) | superior. Agrees with buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः). |
| चेत् | cet | indeclinable | if. |
| कर्मणः | karmaṇaḥ | ablative singular of karman (कर्मन्) | than action. |
| ते | te | genitive enclitic of tvam (त्वम्) | by you. With matā (मता), the one who holds the view. |
| मता | matā | nominative feminine, past participle of man (मन्) | thought, held. |
| बुद्धिः | buddhiḥ | nominative feminine | the buddhi, understanding. |
| जनार्दन | janārdana | vocative | Janārdana (जनार्दन). A name of Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण). |
| तत् | tat | indeclinable | then. The correlative of cet (चेत्). |
| किम् | kim | indeclinable, interrogative | why. |
| कर्मणि | karmaṇi | locative singular of karman (कर्मन्) | in action. |
| घोरे | ghore | locative singular | terrible. Agrees with karmaṇi (कर्मणि). |
| माम् | mām | accusative of aham (अहम्) | me. |
| नियोजयसि | niyojayasi | present, 2nd singular, causative of ni-yuj (नि-युज्) | you yoke, you engage. |
| केशव | keśava | vocative | Keśava (केशव). Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) by the other name. |
The phrases
jyāyasī cet karmaṇas te matā buddhiḥ (ज्यायसी चेत् कर्मणस् ते मता बुद्धिः) is the if. If the buddhi is held by you to be superior to action. jyāyasī (ज्यायसी) is feminine because buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः) is feminine. karmaṇaḥ (कर्मणः) is what it is superior to.
buddhir janārdana (बुद्धिर् जनार्दन) closes that if. iḥ (इः) before the voiced j (ज्) becomes ir (इर्). janārdana (जनार्दन) is who must answer.
tat kim karmaṇi ghore mām niyojayasi keśava (तत् किम् कर्मणि घोरे माम् नियोजयसि केशव) is the question the if produces. Then why do you yoke me into terrible action. The two vocatives are one person.
Sanskrit in this line
jyāyasī (ज्यायसी) is a comparative, "superior." A comparative takes the ablative for the thing it exceeds. karmaṇaḥ (कर्मणः) answers "than action." A genitive of karman (कर्मन्) would look the same. The comparative is what decides it.
Say it back
Cover the English. Ask his question in order: if the buddhi is superior, why this action. If karmaṇaḥ (कर्मणः) comes out as "of action" with no "than," stay here.