4.14
न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा ।
इति मां योऽभिजानाति कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते ॥
na māṃ karmāṇi limpanti na me karmaphale spṛhā
iti māṃ yo 'bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna.
The verse
Actions do not stain me, and I have no longing in the fruit of action; who knows me thus is not bound by actions.
नेपालीमा
कर्महरूले मलाई दाग लाउँदैनन्, र कर्मको फलमा मेरो चाहना छैन। जसले मलाई यसरी जान्छ, त्यो कर्मले बाँधिँदैन।
Where it sits
4.13 said maker and also no maker, and this verse says what that looks like: the acts do not stick, the fruit is not wanted, and the one who knows this is unbound. 4.15 will turn that into an order to act.
Split: न + माम् + कर्माणि + लिम्पन्ति + न + मे + कर्म-फले + स्पृहा + इति + माम् + यः + अभिजानाति + कर्मभिः + न + सः + बध्यते
na + mām + karmāṇi + limpanti + na + me + karma-phale + spṛhā + iti + mām + yaḥ + abhijānāti + karmabhiḥ + na + saḥ + badhyate
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| माम् | mām | accusative | me. |
| कर्माणि | karmāṇi | nominative plural | actions. The subject of limpanti (लिम्पन्ति). |
| लिम्पन्ति | limpanti | present, 3rd plural | they smear, they stain. From lip (लिप्). |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| मे | me | genitive enclitic | of me, my. |
| कर्म-फले | karma-phale | locative singular | in the fruit of action. |
| स्पृहा | spṛhā | nominative | longing, thirst. |
| इति | iti | indeclinable | thus. It closes the two statements. |
| माम् | mām | accusative | me. |
| यः | yaḥ | nominative | who. |
| अभिजानाति | abhijānāti | present, 3rd singular | he knows, he recognizes. From abhi-jñā (अभि-ज्ञा). |
| कर्मभिः | karmabhiḥ | instrumental plural | by actions. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| सः | saḥ | nominative | he. |
| बध्यते | badhyate | present, 3rd singular, passive | he is bound. From bandh (बन्ध्). |
The phrases
na māṃ karmāṇi limpanti (न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति) is the first claim. Actions do not stain me. The actions are the subject. He is the one they fail to smear.
na me karmaphale spṛhā (न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा) is the second. I have no longing in the fruit of action. spṛhā (स्पृहा) is the subject of a sentence with no separate verb. "There is no longing of mine."
iti māṃ yaḥ abhijānāti karmabhiḥ na saḥ badhyate (इति मां यः अभिजानाति कर्मभिः न सः बध्यते) is the consequence for someone else. Who knows me thus is not bound by actions. yaḥ abhijānāti (यः अभिजानाति) is yo 'bhijānāti (योऽभिजानाति). karmabhiḥ na (कर्मभिः न) is karmabhir na (कर्मभिर्न). saḥ badhyate (सः बध्यते) is recited sa badhyate (स बध्यते), the pronoun rule of 4.2.
Sanskrit in this line
limpanti (लिम्पन्ति) is active: the actions do the smearing. badhyate (बध्यते) is passive: the man is bound, or in this verse is not. The verse needs both voices. "Actions do not stain me" is not the same sentence as "I do not do actions." The second verb is about the knower, saḥ (सः), and the instrument is karmabhiḥ (कर्मभिः), "by actions."
Say it back
What does not stick to him, and who else is then not bound. If badhyate (बध्यते) is turned into an active "he binds," stay here.