3.4
न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते ।
न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ॥
na karmaṇām anārambhān naiṣkarmyaṃ puruṣo 'śnute
na ca saṃnyasanād eva siddhiṃ samadhigacchati
śrībhagavān (श्रीभगवान्) is speaking, and he closes the door Arjuna (अर्जुन) had opened, the door of not starting.
The verse
A person does not reach the actionless state by not beginning actions, and he does not reach perfection by renunciation alone.
नेपालीमा
मानिस कर्म नथालेर कर्मरहित अवस्थामा पुग्दैन, र संन्यास मात्रले सिद्धिमा पुग्दैन।
Where it sits
3.3 had allowed a stance of knowledge, and this verse says that stance is not the same thing as refusing to start. The next verse will say why the refusal cannot even be carried out.
Split: न + कर्मणाम् + अनारम्भात् + नैष्कर्म्यम् + पुरुषः + अश्नुते + न + च + संन्यसनात् + एव + सिद्धिम् + समधिगच्छति
na + karmaṇām + anārambhāt + naiṣkarmyam + puruṣaḥ + aśnute + na + ca + saṃnyasanāt + eva + siddhim + samadhigacchati
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| कर्मणाम् | karmaṇām | genitive plural of karman (कर्मन्) | of actions. |
| अनारम्भात् | anārambhāt | ablative singular | from not beginning them. |
| नैष्कर्म्यम् | naiṣkarmyam | accusative neuter | the state of being without action. |
| पुरुषः | puruṣaḥ | nominative | a person. |
| अश्नुते | aśnute | present, 3rd singular, middle of aś (अश्) | he reaches, he obtains. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| संन्यसनात् | saṃnyasanāt | ablative singular | from renunciation, from laying the acts down. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | alone, merely. It presses saṃnyasanāt (संन्यसनात्). |
| सिद्धिम् | siddhim | accusative | perfection, arrival. |
| समधिगच्छति | samadhigacchati | present, 3rd singular of सम्-अधि-गम् sam-adhi-gam | he attains. |
The phrases
न कर्मणाम् अनारम्भान् नैष्कर्म्यम् na karmaṇām anārambhān naiṣkarmyam is the first denial. Not from failing to begin actions does one arrive at being without action. t (त्) before n (न्) has become n (न्): anārambhān naiṣkarmyam (अनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यम्).
puruṣo 'śnute (पुरुषो ऽश्नुते) is the person and the verb. He does not reach it. अः + अ aḥ + a again: puruṣaḥ aśnute (पुरुषः अश्नुते).
न च संन्यसनाद् एव सिद्धिम् समधिगच्छति na ca saṃnyasanād eva siddhiṃ samadhigacchati is the second denial. Nor by renunciation alone does he reach siddhi (सिद्धि). The t (त्) of saṃnyasanāt (संन्यसनात्) has voiced to d (द्) before eva (एव).
Sanskrit in this line
naiṣkarmyam (नैष्कर्म्यम्) is built from niṣkarman (निष्कर्मन्), "without action." The abstract noun takes vṛddhi (वृद्धि) of the first syllable, i (इ) becoming ai (ऐ), and the suffix --ya (य). The state of that condition, not the condition itself. That is the thing anārambha (अनारम्भ) fails to buy.
Say it back
Say what he does not reach, and the two roads that do not reach it. If naiṣkarmyam (नैष्कर्म्यम्) comes out as "not working today," stay here. It is the state of being free of action.