7.20
कामैस्तैस्तैर्हृतज्ञानाः प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः ।
तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया ॥
kāmais tais tair hṛtajñānāḥ prapadyante 'nyadevatāḥ
taṃ taṃ niyamam āsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
Those whose knowledge has been taken by one desire and another come to other deities, taking up this observance and that, held by their own nature.
नेपालीमा
जसको ज्ञान यो इच्छा र त्यो इच्छाले लगिसकेको छ, तिनीहरू अरू देवताकहाँ आउँछन्, यो व्रत र त्यो व्रत लिँदै, आफ्नै प्रकृतिले बाँधिएर।
Where it sits
7.19 was the rare one who comes to him, saying he is all. This verse is the ordinary coming. Same verb, other gods, and the knowledge is already gone, taken by desires. Their own nature is what keeps them at it.
Split: कामैः + तैः + तैः + हृत-ज्ञानाः + प्रपद्यन्ते + अन्य-देवताः + तम् + तम् + नियमम् + आस्थाय + प्रकृत्या + नियताः + स्वया
kāmaiḥ + taiḥ + taiḥ + hṛta-jñānāḥ + prapadyante + anya-devatāḥ + tam + tam + niyamam + āsthāya + prakṛtyā + niyatāḥ + svayā
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| कामैः | kāmaiḥ | instrumental plural | by desires. |
| तैः | taiḥ | instrumental plural | by those. |
| तैः | taiḥ | instrumental plural | by those. Said twice, it means "by this one and that one." |
| हृत-ज्ञानाः | hṛta-jñānāḥ | nominative plural, bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) | whose knowledge has been taken. The same shape as apahṛta-jñānāḥ (अपहृत-ज्ञानाः) in 7.15. |
| प्रपद्यन्ते | prapadyante | present, 3rd plural, middle | they come to. |
| अन्य-देवताः | anya-devatāḥ | accusative plural | other deities. devatā (देवता) is feminine. Accusative plural is --āḥ (आः), the same shape as the nominative. |
| तम् | tam | accusative singular | that. |
| तम् | tam | accusative singular | that. Doubled: "this one and that one." |
| नियमम् | niyamam | accusative singular | a rule, an observance. |
| आस्थाय | āsthāya | gerund of ā-sthā (आ-स्था) | having taken up. Prefixed, so the ending is --ya (य), not --tvā (त्वा). |
| प्रकृत्या | prakṛtyā | instrumental | by nature. |
| नियताः | niyatāḥ | nominative plural | held, constrained. |
| स्वया | svayā | instrumental feminine | by their own. Agrees with prakṛtyā (प्रकृत्या). |
The phrases
kāmaiḥ taiḥ taiḥ hṛta-jñānāḥ (कामैः तैः तैः हृत-ज्ञानाः) is the subject. People whose knowledge has been taken by one desire and another. The doubled taiḥ (तैः) refuses to let it be a single motive.
prapadyante anya-devatāḥ (प्रपद्यन्ते अन्य-देवताः) uses the verb of coming, and the object is not him. They come to other gods. तम् तम् नियमम् आस्थाय tam tam niyamam āsthāya is how: taking up this observance and that one.
prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā (प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया) is the constraint. Their own nature holds them there. svayā (स्वया) agrees with prakṛtyā (प्रकृत्या), feminine instrumental. It is their nature, not a nature imposed from outside the verse.
Sanskrit in this line
कामैः + तैः + तैः + हृत kāmaiḥ + taiḥ + taiḥ + hṛta is recited kāmais tais tair hṛta (कामैस्तैस्तैर्हृत). The ending --aiḥ (ऐः) does two things in one chain.
Before voiceless t (त्), --aiḥ (ऐः) becomes --ais (ऐस्). kāmaiḥ taiḥ (कामैः तैः) is kāmais taiḥ (कामैस्तैः), and taiḥ taiḥ (तैः तैः) does it again.
Before voiced h (ह्), --aiḥ (ऐः) becomes --air (ऐर्). तैः + हृत taiḥ + hṛta is tair hṛta (तैर्हृत).
प्रपद्यन्ते + अन्य-देवताः prapadyante + anya-devatāḥ is prapadyante 'nyadevatāḥ (प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः). ए + अ e + a drops the a (अ) with ऽ. The deities are still the object. The avagraha is not a pause between two sentences.
Say it back
Who comes, to whom, and what holds them. If svayā (स्वया) comes out as "by his nature," meaning Kṛṣṇa's (कृष्ण), stay here. It agrees with their own prakṛti (प्रकृति).