4.20
त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः ।
कर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्तोऽपि नैव किञ्चित्करोति सः ॥
tyaktvā karmaphalāsaṅgaṃ nityatṛpto nirāśrayaḥ
karmaṇy abhipravṛtto 'pi naiva kiṃcit karoti saḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna.
The verse
Having dropped the clinging to the fruit, always content, with nothing to lean on, he does nothing at all even while he is engaged in the action.
नेपालीमा
फलको टाँसो छाडेर, सधैँ सन्तुष्ट, टेक्ने केही नभएको, ऊ कर्ममा लागेको भए पनि केही पनि गर्दैन।
Where it sits
This is the inaction in action of 4.18, said of a particular man: he is in the act, and he is not the doer of anything. 4.21 will narrow the act that remains to what the body does.
Split: त्यक्त्वा + कर्म-फल-आसङ्गम् + नित्य-तृप्तः + निराश्रयः + कर्मणि + अभिप्रवृत्तः + अपि + न + एव + किञ्चित् + करोति + सः
tyaktvā + karma-phala-āsaṅgam + nitya-tṛptaḥ + nirāśrayaḥ + karmaṇi + abhipravṛttaḥ + api + na + eva + kiṃcit + karoti + saḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| त्यक्त्वा | tyaktvā | gerund | having left, having dropped. |
| कर्म-फल-आसङ्गम् | karma-phala-āsaṅgam | accusative | the clinging to the fruit of action. āsaṅga (आसङ्ग) is the sticking-to. |
| नित्य-तृप्तः | nitya-tṛptaḥ | nominative | always content. |
| निराश्रयः | nirāśrayaḥ | nominative | with nothing to lean on. nis (निस्) "without," āśraya (आश्रय) "a resort." |
| कर्मणि | karmaṇi | locative singular | in action. |
| अभिप्रवृत्तः | abhipravṛttaḥ | nominative | engaged, set going toward it. |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | even. Concessive: even though. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | at all. With na (न), "not at all." |
| किञ्चित् | kiṃcit | accusative | anything. |
| करोति | karoti | present, 3rd singular | he does. |
| सः | saḥ | nominative | he. At the pause, the visarga stays. |
The phrases
tyaktvā karmaphalāsaṅgaṃ nityatṛptaḥ nirāśrayaḥ (त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तः निराश्रयः) sets the man up before the surprise. Having dropped the clinging to fruit, always content, with nothing to lean on. nityatṛptaḥ nirāśrayaḥ (नित्यतृप्तः निराश्रयः) is nityatṛpto nirāśrayaḥ (नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः).
karmaṇi abhipravṛttaḥ api (कर्मणि अभिप्रवृत्तः अपि) is the concession. Even while engaged in the action. karmaṇi abhipravṛttaḥ (कर्मणि अभिप्रवृत्तः) is karmaṇy abhipravṛttaḥ (कर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्तः). abhipravṛttaḥ api (अभिप्रवृत्तः अपि) is abhipravṛtto 'pi (अभिप्रवृत्तोऽपि).
न एव किञ्चित् करोति सः na eva kiṃcit karoti saḥ is the main clause. He does not do anything at all. na eva (न एव) is naiva (नैव). The verse ends on saḥ (सः), so the pronoun keeps its visarga. This is the pause, not the consonant rule.
Sanskrit in this line
api (अपि) after abhipravṛttaḥ (अभिप्रवृत्तः) is concessive. "Even though he is engaged." The participle and karoti (करोति) share the subject saḥ (सः), and api (अपि) holds them apart: engaged, and nevertheless not doing. Without that api (अपि) the line is only "he does nothing," and the paradox 4.18 named is gone.
Say it back
What he has dropped, and what he nevertheless does not do. If api (अपि) is skipped, stay here.