7.17
तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते ।
प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः ॥
teṣāṃ jñānī nityayukta ekabhaktir viśiṣyate
priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṃ sa ca mama priyaḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
Of them, the one who knows, always yoked, of single devotion, stands out. I am exceedingly dear to the one who knows, and he is dear to me.
नेपालीमा
तिनीहरूमध्ये जान्ने, सधैँ युक्त, एउटै भक्ति भएको, विशिष्ट छ। जान्नेलाई म साह्रै प्यारो छु, र ऊ मलाई प्यारो छ।
Where it sits
7.16 set four people side by side. This verse refuses the equality. The rest of the stretch keeps returning to the one who knows: what Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) holds him to be, and what that one finally says.
Split: तेषाम् + ज्ञानी + नित्य-युक्तः + एक-भक्तिः + विशिष्यते + प्रियः + हि + ज्ञानिनः + अत्यर्थम् + अहम् + सः + च + मम + प्रियः
teṣām + jñānī + nitya-yuktaḥ + eka-bhaktiḥ + viśiṣyate + priyaḥ + hi + jñāninaḥ + atyartham + aham + saḥ + ca + mama + priyaḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| तेषाम् | teṣām | genitive plural | of them. Of the four. |
| ज्ञानी | jñānī | nominative | the one who knows. |
| नित्य-युक्तः | nitya-yuktaḥ | nominative singular | always yoked. nitya (नित्य) "constant," yukta (युक्त) "joined." |
| एक-भक्तिः | eka-bhaktiḥ | nominative singular, bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) | whose devotion is to one. eka (एक) "one," bhakti (भक्ति) "devotion, sharing." |
| विशिष्यते | viśiṣyate | present, 3rd singular, middle | stands out, is distinguished. From vi-śiṣ (वि-शिष्). |
| प्रियः | priyaḥ | nominative singular | dear. |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | for, indeed. |
| ज्ञानिनः | jñāninaḥ | genitive singular of jñānin (ज्ञानिन्) | of the one who knows. To him. |
| अत्यर्थम् | atyartham | accusative singular, used as an adverb | exceedingly. ati (अति) "beyond," artha (अर्थ) "aim, measure." |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| सः | saḥ | nominative singular | he. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| मम | mama | genitive | to me, of me. |
| प्रियः | priyaḥ | nominative singular | dear. |
The phrases
teṣām jñānī nitya-yuktaḥ eka-bhaktiḥ viśiṣyate (तेषाम् ज्ञानी नित्य-युक्तः एक-भक्तिः विशिष्यते) singles him out of the four. The one who knows, always yoked, his devotion one, stands out. The other three turn to him. This one is distinguished.
प्रियः हि ज्ञानिनः अत्यर्थम् अहम् priyaḥ hi jñāninaḥ atyartham aham is one direction of the dearness. He is exceedingly dear to the knower. saḥ ca mama priyaḥ (सः च मम प्रियः) is the other direction. The knower is dear to him. saḥ (सः) before ca (च) drops its visarga and does not become s (स्). The recited word is sa (स).
Sanskrit in this line
jñāninaḥ (ज्ञानिनः) here is genitive singular, "of the knower." The shape --inaḥ (इनः) was nominative plural on duṣ-kṛtinaḥ (दुष्-कृतिनः) and su-kṛtinaḥ (सु-कृतिनः). Same ending, different job. The plural named a crowd. This one names one person, and priyaḥ (प्रियः) plus aham (अहम्) need a genitive: dear to him.
ज्ञानिनः + अत्यर्थम् jñāninaḥ + atyartham is recited jñānino 'tyartham (ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थम्). The avagraha is अः + अ aḥ + a. Do not let the ऽ turn atyartham (अत्यर्थम्) into a second noun. It is the adverb "exceedingly."
नित्य-युक्तः + एक nitya-yuktaḥ + eka drops the visarga before e (ए) and does not merge the vowels: nityayukta eka (नित्ययुक्त एक). aḥ (अः) before a vowel other than short a (अ) leaves a hiatus.
Say it back
Who stands out, then the two directions of dear. If viśiṣyate (विशिष्यते) becomes "is also good," the four have been leveled again. Stay here.