4.18
कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः ।
स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ॥
karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ
sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna.
The verse
Who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is wise among men; he is yoked, the doer of action in its wholeness.
नेपालीमा
जसले कर्ममा अकर्म देख्छ र अकर्ममा कर्म देख्छ, त्यो मानिसहरूमा ज्ञानी हो, युक्त छ, र सम्पूर्ण रूपमा कर्म गर्छ।
Where it sits
This is the verse 4.16 promised: the dense course of 4.17 is not solved by choosing a side, but by seeing each inside the other. The next verses draw the person who sees that way, his undertakings, his clinging, his stain.
Split: कर्मणि + अकर्म + यः + पश्येत् + अकर्मणि + च + कर्म + यः + सः + बुद्धिमान् + मनुष्येषु + सः + युक्तः + कृत्स्न-कर्म-कृत्
karmaṇi + akarma + yaḥ + paśyet + akarmaṇi + ca + karma + yaḥ + saḥ + buddhimān + manuṣyeṣu + saḥ + yuktaḥ + kṛtsna-karma-kṛt
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| कर्मणि | karmaṇi | locative singular | in action. |
| अकर्म | akarma | accusative | inaction. What he sees there. |
| यः | yaḥ | nominative | who. |
| पश्येत् | paśyet | optative, 3rd singular | he would see, he sees. From dṛś (दृश्). |
| अकर्मणि | akarmaṇi | locative singular | in inaction. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| कर्म | karma | accusative | action. |
| यः | yaḥ | nominative | who. The same kind of person, said again. |
| सः | saḥ | nominative | he. |
| बुद्धिमान् | buddhimān | nominative | wise, one who has buddhi (बुद्धि). |
| मनुष्येषु | manuṣyeṣu | locative plural | among men. |
| सः | saḥ | nominative | he. |
| युक्तः | yuktaḥ | nominative | yoked, set to the work. |
| कृत्स्न-कर्म-कृत् | kṛtsna-karma-kṛt | nominative | the doer of action in its wholeness. kṛtsna (कृत्स्न) is "whole." kṛt (कृत्) is "a doer." |
The phrases
karmaṇi akarma yaḥ paśyet (कर्मणि अकर्म यः पश्येत्) is the first seeing. Who sees inaction in action. karmaṇi akarma (कर्मणि अकर्म) is karmaṇy akarma (कर्मण्यकर्म). paśyet (पश्येत्) before the vowel of akarmaṇi (अकर्मणि) becomes paśyed (पश्येद्).
akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ (अकर्मणि च कर्म यः) is the second seeing, with the verb still paśyet (पश्येत्). And who sees action in inaction. The locative is the place he looks. The accusative is what he finds there.
saḥ buddhimān manuṣyeṣu saḥ yuktaḥ kṛtsnakarmakṛt (सः बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु सः युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत्) names him. He is the wise one among men. He is yoked. He is the one who does action whole. Both pronouns are recited sa (स), before a consonant. buddhimān manuṣyeṣu (बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु) keeps the n (न्): buddhimān manuṣyeṣu (बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु).
Sanskrit in this line
karmaṇi (कर्मणि) and akarmaṇi (अकर्मणि) are locative singular of the न-stem karman (कर्मन्). The ending --i (इ) answers "in." paśyet (पश्येत्) is optative. Before a vowel, its t (त्) becomes d (द्): पश्येत् अकर्मणि paśyet akarmaṇi is paśyed akarmaṇi (पश्येदकर्मणि). Do not read पश्येद paśyed as the dictionary form. The word is paśyet (पश्येत्).
Say it back
What he sees in action, and what he sees in inaction. If the two locatives are swapped, stay here.