4.16
किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः ।
तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् ॥
kiṃ karma kim akarmeti kavayo 'py atra mohitāḥ
tat te karma pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvā mokṣyase 'śubhāt
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna.
The verse
Even the wise are confused here about what action is and what inaction is; I shall declare that action to you, knowing which you will be freed from what is not good.
नेपालीमा
कर्म के हो र अकर्म के हो भनेर यहाँ विद्वान्हरू पनि अलमलिन्छन्। त्यो कर्म म तिमीलाई भन्नेछु, जसलाई जानेर तिमी नराम्रोबाट मुक्त हुनेछौ।
Where it sits
4.15 told him to act as the ancients acted, and this verse admits that act is the word nobody is sure of, including the wise. The declaration he promises occupies the rest of this stretch, and the knot of it is 4.18.
Split: किम् + कर्म + किम् + अकर्म + इति + कवयः + अपि + अत्र + मोहिताः + तत् + ते + कर्म + प्रवक्ष्यामि + यत् + ज्ञात्वा + मोक्ष्यसे + अशुभात्
kim + karma + kim + akarma + iti + kavayaḥ + api + atra + mohitāḥ + tat + te + karma + pravakṣyāmi + yat + jñātvā + mokṣyase + aśubhāt
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| किम् | kim | nominative neuter | what. |
| कर्म | karma | nominative | action. |
| किम् | kim | nominative neuter | what. |
| अकर्म | akarma | nominative | inaction. karma (कर्म) with the negative a- (अ-). |
| इति | iti | indeclinable | thus. It closes the quoted puzzle. |
| कवयः | kavayaḥ | nominative plural | the wise, the poets. People who can see a thing and say it. |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | even. |
| अत्र | atra | indeclinable | here, on this point. |
| मोहिताः | mohitāḥ | nominative plural | confused. From muh (मुह्). |
| तत् | tat | accusative | that. |
| ते | te | dative enclitic | to you. |
| कर्म | karma | accusative | action. The thing he is about to explain. |
| प्रवक्ष्यामि | pravakṣyāmi | future, 1st singular | I shall declare. From pra-vac (प्र-वच्). |
| यत् | yat | accusative | which. |
| ज्ञात्वा | jñātvā | gerund | having known. |
| मोक्ष्यसे | mokṣyase | future, 2nd singular, middle | you will be released. From muc (मुच्). |
| अशुभात् | aśubhāt | ablative | from what is not good. |
The phrases
किं कर्म किम् अकर्म इति कवयः अपि अत्र मोहिताः kiṃ karma kim akarma iti kavayaḥ api atra mohitāḥ states the tangle. "What is action, what is inaction?" Even the wise are confused here. किम् अकर्म kim akarma is kim akarma (किमकर्म), and akarma iti (अकर्म इति) is akarmeti (अकर्मेति). kavayaḥ api (कवयः अपि) is kavayo 'pi (कवयोऽपि), and api atra (अपि अत्र) is apy atra (अप्यत्र).
tat te karma pravakṣyāmi (तत् ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि) is the promise. I shall declare that action to you. tat te (तत् ते) doubles the t (त्): tat te (तत्ते).
yat jñātvā mokṣyase aśubhāt (यत् ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसे अशुभात्) is what the knowing is for. Knowing which, you will be released from what is not good. yat jñātvā (यत् ज्ञात्वा) is yaj jñātvā (यज्ज्ञात्वा): t (त्) before j (ज्) becomes j (ज्). mokṣyase aśubhāt (मोक्ष्यसे अशुभात्) is mokṣyase 'śubhāt (मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात्).
Sanskrit in this line
pravakṣyāmi (प्रवक्ष्यामि) and mokṣyase (मोक्ष्यसे) are both future. "I shall declare" is his part. "You will be released" is Arjuna's part, and it is middle: the release happens to him. The gerund jñātvā (ज्ञात्वा) sits between them. The freeing depends on the knowing, and the knowing depends on the declaration.
Say it back
The two-word puzzle, then what he will do with it. If akarma (अकर्म) is pronounced as karma (कर्म), the puzzle is gone. Stay here.