7.23
अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम् ।
देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि ॥
antavat tu phalaṃ teṣāṃ tad bhavaty alpamedhasām
devān devayajo yānti madbhaktā yānti mām api
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
But that fruit of those of small understanding comes to an end. Those who sacrifice to the gods go to the gods. My devotees go to me as well.
नेपालीमा
तर अल्प बुद्धि भएकाहरूको त्यो फल सकिन्छ। देवतालाई यज्ञ गर्ने देवताकहाँ जान्छन्, र मेरा भक्तहरू मकहाँ पनि जान्छन्।
Where it sits
The other gods and the desires are not called false. They are called limited. The fruit ends, and the worshipper goes to the one he worshipped. That sets up 7.24: people who think his appearance is the whole of him have made the same kind of small measure.
Split: अन्त-वत् + तु + फलम् + तेषाम् + तत् + भवति + अल्प-मेधसाम् + देवान् + देव-यजः + यान्ति + मत्-भक्ताः + यान्ति + माम् + अपि
anta-vat + tu + phalam + teṣām + tat + bhavati + alpa-medhasām + devān + deva-yajaḥ + yānti + mat-bhaktāḥ + yānti + mām + api
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अन्त-वत् | anta-vat | nominative singular, neuter | having an end. Agrees with phalam (फलम्). |
| तु | tu | indeclinable | but. |
| फलम् | phalam | nominative singular | the fruit. |
| तेषाम् | teṣām | genitive plural | of them. Of those worshippers. |
| तत् | tat | nominative singular, neuter | that. The fruit. |
| भवति | bhavati | present, 3rd singular | becomes, is. |
| अल्प-मेधसाम् | alpa-medhasām | genitive plural of alpa-medhas (अल्प-मेधस्) | of those of small understanding. medhas (मेधस्) is wisdom. |
| देवान् | devān | accusative plural | the gods. |
| देव-यजः | deva-yajaḥ | nominative plural | those who sacrifice to the gods. |
| यान्ति | yānti | present, 3rd plural | they go. From yā (या). |
| मत्-भक्ताः | mat-bhaktāḥ | nominative plural | my devotees. |
| यान्ति | yānti | present, 3rd plural | they go. |
| माम् | mām | accusative | to me. |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | also, as well. |
The phrases
anta-vat tu phalam teṣām tat bhavati alpa-medhasām (अन्त-वत् तु फलम् तेषाम् तत् भवति अल्प-मेधसाम्) judges the fruit of 7.22. It comes to an end. The genitive alpa-medhasām (अल्प-मेधसाम्) is whose fruit: people of small understanding. tu (तु) is the turn. He had just said they do obtain the desires. But the fruit ends.
devān deva-yajaḥ yānti (देवान् देव-यजः यान्ति) is where that worship goes. Sacrificers to the gods go to the gods. मत्-भक्ताः यान्ति माम् अपि mat-bhaktāḥ yānti mām api is the other going. His devotees go to him. api (अपि) sets the two goings side by side. It does not make his devotees go to the gods as well.
Sanskrit in this line
तत् + भवति + अल्प-मेधसाम् tat + bhavati + alpa-medhasām is recited tad bhavatyalpamedhasām (तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम्).
तत् + भवति tat + bhavati voices the t (त्) to d (द्) before the voiced b (ब्): tad bhavati (तद्भवति).
भवति + अल्प bhavati + alpa turns the i (इ) into y (य्): bhavaty alpa (भवत्यल्प). The verb is still bhavati (भवति), "becomes." If the y (य्) is read as the start of a new word, the fruit has no verb.
अन्त-वत् + तु anta-vat + tu is written antavat tu (अन्तवत्तु), with the t (त्) doubled. tu (तु) is still the turn, "but."
Say it back
The fruit ends. Then the two goings. If anta-vat (अन्त-वत्) drops, their fruit sounds like the goal of 7.18, and the verse was written to refuse that.