4.4
अर्जुन उवाच
अपरं भवतो जन्म परं जन्म विवस्वतः ।
कथमेतद्विजानीयां त्वमादौ प्रोक्तवानिति ॥
arjuna uvāca
aparaṃ bhavato janma paraṃ janma vivasvataḥ
katham etad vijānīyāṃ tvam ādau proktavān iti
Arjuna (अर्जुन) is speaking, to Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण).
The verse
Arjuna said: Your birth is later and Vivasvān's (विवस्वान्) birth is earlier; how am I to understand that you declared this in the beginning?
नेपालीमा
अर्जुनले भने, तपाईंको जन्म पछिको हो र विवस्वान्को जन्म अघिको हो। तपाईंले यो सुरुमा भन्नुभयो भनेर म कसरी बुझूँ?
Where it sits
He has not refused the yoga; he has refused the calendar, since a man born now cannot have taught the sun unless birth does not mean what he is using it to mean. The answer starts at 4.5.
Split: अपरम् + भवतः + जन्म + परम् + जन्म + विवस्वतः + कथम् + एतत् + विजानीयाम् + त्वम् + आदौ + प्रोक्तवान् + इति
aparam + bhavataḥ + janma + param + janma + vivasvataḥ + katham + etat + vijānīyām + tvam + ādau + proktavān + iti
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अपरम् | aparam | nominative neuter | later. The birth that comes after. |
| भवतः | bhavataḥ | genitive of bhavat (भवत्) | your. The respectful "of you," used for Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण). |
| जन्म | janma | nominative neuter | birth. |
| परम् | param | nominative neuter | earlier. The birth further back. |
| जन्म | janma | nominative neuter | birth. Said again, of the other man. |
| विवस्वतः | vivasvataḥ | genitive | of Vivasvān (विवस्वान्). |
| कथम् | katham | indeclinable | how. |
| एतत् | etat | accusative neuter | this. The claim of 4.1. |
| विजानीयाम् | vijānīyām | optative, 1st singular | I should understand, I am to know. From vi-jñā (वि-ज्ञा). |
| त्वम् | tvam | nominative | you. |
| आदौ | ādau | locative | in the beginning. |
| प्रोक्तवान् | proktavān | nominative | one who declared. The same participle as 4.1. |
| इति | iti | indeclinable | that. It closes "that you declared it." |
The phrases
aparaṃ bhavataḥ janma paraṃ janma vivasvataḥ (अपरं भवतः जन्म परं जन्म विवस्वतः) sets the two births against each other. Yours is later. Vivasvān's (विवस्वान्) is earlier. bhavataḥ janma (भवतः जन्म) is recited bhavato janma (भवतो जन्म), because aḥ (अः) before a voiced consonant becomes o (ओ).
कथम् एतत् विजानीयाम् katham etat vijānīyām is the trouble. How am I to know this. कथम् एतत् katham etat is katham etat (कथमेतत्). etat (एतत्) before v (व्) is etad (एतद्): etad vijānīyām (एतद्विजानीयाम्).
त्वम् आदौ प्रोक्तवान् इति tvam ādau proktavān iti is the claim he cannot fit. That you, in the beginning, were the one who declared it. त्वम् आदौ tvam ādau is tvam ādau (त्वमादौ). प्रोक्तवान् इति proktavān iti is proktavān iti (प्रोक्तवानिति).
Sanskrit in this line
vijānīyām (विजानीयाम्) is optative, first person. The --yām (याम्) ending is "I might, I should, how am I to." It is not a past tense and not a command. katham (कथम्) plus that optative is a real question: the grammar itself says he does not yet see it.
Say it back
Which birth is later, which is earlier, and what he cannot fit. If aparam (अपरम्) and param (परम्) are swapped, the question collapses.