6.38
कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति ।
अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मणः पथि ॥
kaccin nobhayavibhraṣṭaś chinnābhram iva naśyati
apratiṣṭho mahābāho vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi
Arjuna is still speaking. This continues the question of 6.37.
The verse
Fallen from both, without a standing, bewildered on the path of brahman, does he not perish like a torn cloud, mighty-armed one?
नेपालीमा
दुवैबाट खसेको, उभिने ठाउँ नभएको, ब्रह्मको बाटोमा अन्योलमा परेको, के ऊ च्यातिएको बादलझैँ नष्ट हुँदैन, हे महाबाहु?
Where it sits
6.37 asked what path he goes. This verse fears there is no path. Fallen from both, like a cloud that comes apart. 6.39 asks Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) to cut the doubt. The answer begins at 6.40.
Split: कच्चित् + न + उभय-विभ्रष्टः + छिन्न-अभ्रम् + इव + नश्यति + अप्रतिष्ठः + महाबाहो + विमूढः + ब्रह्मणः + पथि
kaccit + na + ubhaya-vibhraṣṭaḥ + chinna-abhram + iva + naśyati + apratiṣṭhaḥ + mahābāho + vimūḍhaḥ + brahmaṇaḥ + pathi
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| कच्चित् | kaccit | indeclinable | a particle of anxious asking. "Is it that…?" |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. With kaccit (कच्चित्), "surely he does not." |
| उभय-विभ्रष्टः | ubhaya-vibhraṣṭaḥ | nominative singular | fallen from both. |
| छिन्न-अभ्रम् | chinna-abhram | accusative singular | a torn cloud. |
| इव | iva | indeclinable | like. |
| नश्यति | naśyati | present, 3rd singular | he perishes, he vanishes. |
| अप्रतिष्ठः | apratiṣṭhaḥ | nominative singular | without a standing-place. |
| महाबाहो | mahābāho | vocative | mighty-armed. |
| विमूढः | vimūḍhaḥ | nominative singular | bewildered. |
| ब्रह्मणः | brahmaṇaḥ | genitive singular | of brahman (ब्रह्मन्). |
| पथि | pathi | locative singular | on the path. |
The phrases
kaccit na naśyati (कच्चित् न नश्यति) is the fear, put as a hope that it is not so. Surely he does not perish. ubhayavibhraṣṭaḥ (उभयविभ्रष्टः) is the man fallen from both, and the verse does not stop to name the two. The fear is that nothing is left to stand on. apratiṣṭhaḥ (अप्रतिष्ठः) says that plainly.
छिन्नाभ्रम् इव chinnābhram iva is the picture. Like a cloud torn apart, scattering. vimūḍhaḥ brahmaṇaḥ pathi (विमूढः ब्रह्मणः पथि) places him bewildered on the path of brahman (ब्रह्मन्).
kaccit na ubhaya (कच्चित् न उभय) is kaccinnobhaya (कच्चिन्नोभय). vibhraṣṭaḥ chinna (विभ्रष्टः छिन्न) is vibhraṣṭaśchinna (विभ्रष्टश्छिन्न). छिन्न अभ्रम् इव chinna abhram iva is chinnābhramiva (छिन्नाभ्रमिव). apratiṣṭhaḥ (अप्रतिष्ठः) is apratiṣṭho (अप्रतिष्ठो). vimūḍhaḥ (विमूढः) is vimūḍho (विमूढो).
Sanskrit in this line
pathi (पथि) is the locative of pathin (पथिन्), "path." The expected locative of an in (इन्)-stem is not what you get. pathin (पथिन्) makes pathi (पथि), "on the path." Learn the form from this verse. kaccit (कच्चित्) with na (न) is not a neutral question. It leans. The speaker hopes the answer is no, and he is afraid it is yes.
Say it back
The cloud, and where he is bewildered. If kaccit na (कच्चित् न) comes out as a calm "does he perish?", the anxiety in the particle is gone.