3.22
न मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु किञ्चन ।
नानवाप्तमवाप्तव्यं वर्त एव च कर्मणि ॥
na me pārthāsti kartavyaṃ triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana
nānavāptam avāptavyaṃ varta eva ca karmaṇi
śrībhagavān (श्रीभगवान्) is speaking about himself, the śreṣṭhaḥ (श्रेष्ठः) of 3.21 now in the first person.
The verse
There is nothing I must do in the three worlds, Pārtha (पार्थ), and nothing unobtained that I still must obtain — and still I move in action.
नेपालीमा
तीन लोकमा मलाई गर्नुपर्ने केही छैन, हे पार्थ, र नपाइएको अझै पाउनुपर्ने केही छैन, तैपनि म कर्ममा लागिरहेको छु।
Where it sits
3.21 said the world copies the person in front, and this verse puts Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) under that rule from the other side: he is not acting because he lacks something. 3.23 and 3.24 say what would happen if he stopped.
Split: न + मे + पार्थ + अस्ति + कर्तव्यम् + त्रिषु + लोकेषु + किञ्चन + न + अनवाप्तम् + अवाप्तव्यम् + वर्ते + एव + च + कर्मणि
na + me + pārtha + asti + kartavyam + triṣu + lokeṣu + kiñcana + na + anavāptam + avāptavyam + varte + eva + ca + karmaṇi
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| मे | me | dative or genitive enclitic | for me. |
| पार्थ | pārtha | vocative | Pārtha (पार्थ). |
| अस्ति | asti | present, 3rd singular of as (अस्) | there is. |
| कर्तव्यम् | kartavyam | nominative neuter | a thing that must be done. |
| त्रिषु | triṣu | locative plural of tri (त्रि) | in the three. |
| लोकेषु | lokeṣu | locative plural | in the worlds. |
| किञ्चन | kiñcana | nominative | anything. With na (न), nothing. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| अनवाप्तम् | anavāptam | nominative neuter | unobtained. |
| अवाप्तव्यम् | avāptavyam | nominative neuter | a thing still to be obtained. |
| वर्ते | varte | present, 1st singular, middle of vṛt (वृत्) | I am engaged, I move. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | still, indeed. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| कर्मणि | karmaṇi | locative | in action. |
The phrases
न मे पार्थ अस्ति कर्तव्यम् त्रिषु लोकेषु किञ्चन na me pārtha asti kartavyaṃ triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana is the first claim. There is nothing I must do, in the three worlds. पार्थ + अस्ति pārtha + asti is pārthāsti (पार्थास्ति).
न अनवाप्तम् अवाप्तव्यम् nānavāptam avāptavyam is the second. Nothing unobtained remains for me to obtain. न + अनवाप्तम् na + anavāptam is nānavāptam (नानवाप्तम्).
वर्ते एव च कर्मणि varta eva ca karmaṇi is the turn. And still I am engaged in action. वर्ते + एव varte + eva does not collapse. Two e (ए) vowels sit side by side: varta eva (वर्त एव).
Sanskrit in this line
na kiñcana (न किञ्चन) is "not anything." kiñcana (किञ्चन) by itself is "something, anything." The negative is doing the work of "nothing." You already saw na kaścana (न कश्चन) in 3.18. Same pair, different pronoun: kim (किम्) for a thing, kaḥ (कः) for a person.
Say it back
What he does not need, and what he does anyway. If varte (वर्ते) becomes "I must," you have given him the kartavyam (कर्तव्यम्) the first line denied.