3.2
व्यामिश्रेणेव वाक्येन बुद्धिं मोहयसीव मे ।
तदेकं वद निश्चित्य येन श्रेयोऽहमाप्नुयाम् ॥
vyāmiśreṇeva vākyena buddhiṃ mohayasīva me
tad ekaṃ vada niścitya yena śreyo 'ham āpnuyām
Arjuna (अर्जुन) is still speaking, and he says what the mixed speech has done before he waits for an answer.
The verse
With a speech that seems mixed you bewilder my understanding, as it were: decide, and say that one thing by which I may reach the good.
नेपालीमा
मिसिएझैँ लाग्ने वचनले तपाईंले मेरो बुझाइलाई अलमल्याइदिनुभएझैँ लाग्छ। निश्चय गरेर मलाई त्यो एउटै कुरा भन्नुहोस्, जसद्वारा म श्रेयमा पुग्न सकूँ।
Where it sits
3.1 asked why action remains if the buddhi is higher, and this verse says he cannot hold both teachings at once. He asks for one of them, the one that is śreyaḥ (श्रेयः).
Split: व्यामिश्रेण + इव + वाक्येन + बुद्धिम् + मोहयसि + इव + मे + तत् + एकम् + वद + निश्चित्य + येन + श्रेयः + अहम् + आप्नुयाम्
vyāmiśreṇa + iva + vākyena + buddhim + mohayasi + iva + me + tat + ekam + vada + niścitya + yena + śreyaḥ + aham + āpnuyām
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| व्यामिश्रेण | vyāmiśreṇa | instrumental singular | by what is mixed, by what will not stay one thing. |
| इव | iva | indeclinable | as if, seemingly. |
| वाक्येन | vākyena | instrumental singular | by a speech. |
| बुद्धिम् | buddhim | accusative | understanding. The same buddhi (बुद्धि) as in 3.1. |
| मोहयसि | mohayasi | present, 2nd singular, causative of muh (मुह्) | you bewilder. |
| इव | iva | indeclinable | as it were. The second softening. |
| मे | me | genitive enclitic of aham (अहम्) | my. |
| तत् | tat | accusative neuter | that. |
| एकम् | ekam | accusative neuter | one. |
| वद | vada | imperative, 2nd singular of vad (वद्) | say. |
| निश्चित्य | niścitya | gerund of nis-ci (निस्-चि) | having decided. |
| येन | yena | instrumental of yad (यद्) | by which. |
| श्रेयः | śreyaḥ | accusative neuter of śreyas (श्रेयस्) | the better, the good. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| आप्नुयाम् | āpnuyām | optative, 1st singular of āp (आप्) | I may obtain. |
The phrases
vyāmiśreṇeva vākyena (व्यामिश्रेणेव वाक्येन) is how the speech sounds. अ + इ a + i has joined vyāmiśreṇa (व्यामिश्रेण) and iva (इव) into one word. Mixed, as it were.
buddhim mohayasīva me (बुद्धिम् मोहयसीव मे) is the effect. You bewilder my understanding, as it were. इ + इ i + i has made mohayasi iva (मोहयसि इव) into mohayasīva (मोहयसीव). The two iva (इव) keep the complaint from being an accusation.
तद् एकम् वद निश्चित्य येन श्रेयो ऽहम् आप्नुयाम् tad ekaṃ vada niścitya yena śreyo 'ham āpnuyām is the request. Decide, and say the one thing by which I may reach the good. tat (तत्) before the vowel has voiced its t (त्) to d (द्): tad ekam (तदेकम्).
Sanskrit in this line
The period in a raw roman line of this verse is not a stop. श्रेयः + अहम् śreyaḥ + aham is recited śreyo 'ham (श्रेयोऽहम्). अः + अ aḥ + a becomes o (ओ), and the a (अ) of aham (अहम्) drops. The mark ऽ is the place where that a (अ) was. Read śreyaḥ aham (श्रेयः अहम्) when you split, and śreyo 'ham (श्रेयोऽहम्) when you recite.
Say it back
Cover the English. Ask for the one thing, not for a commentary. If śreyaḥ (श्रेयः) comes out as "heaven" or "victory," stay here. It is the good, the better of the two things he has just been told.