7.24
अव्यक्तं व्यक्तिमापन्नं मन्यन्ते मामबुद्धयः ।
परं भावमजानन्तो ममाव्ययमनुत्तमम् ॥
avyaktaṃ vyaktim āpannaṃ manyante mām abuddhayaḥ
paraṃ bhāvam ajānanto mamāvyayam anuttamam
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
People without understanding think me the unmanifest who has come into a manifestation. They do not know my higher being, imperishable, with nothing above it.
नेपालीमा
बुद्धि नभएका मानिसहरू मलाई अव्यक्तबाट व्यक्तमा आएको ठान्छन्। तिनीहरूले मेरो उच्च भाव चिन्दैनन्, जो अविनाशी छ र जसभन्दा माथि केही छैन।
Where it sits
7.23 measured a fruit that ends. This verse measures a thought that ends too soon. They grant him an unmanifest past, then a visible birth, and they do not know the state that neither of those covers. 7.25 will say he is wrapped, which is why the mistake is easy.
Split: अव्यक्तम् + व्यक्तिम् + आपन्नम् + मन्यन्ते + माम् + अबुद्धयः + परम् + भावम् + अजानन्तः + मम + अव्ययम् + अनुत्तमम्
avyaktam + vyaktim + āpannam + manyante + mām + abuddhayaḥ + param + bhāvam + ajānantaḥ + mama + avyayam + anuttamam
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अव्यक्तम् | avyaktam | accusative singular | unmanifest. Not shown forth. Agrees with mām (माम्). |
| व्यक्तिम् | vyaktim | accusative of vyakti (व्यक्ति) | manifestation. A showing-forth. |
| आपन्नम् | āpannam | accusative singular | having come into. Past participle of ā-pad (आ-पद्). Agrees with mām (माम्). |
| मन्यन्ते | manyante | present, 3rd plural, middle | they think. From man (मन्). |
| माम् | mām | accusative | me. |
| अबुद्धयः | abuddhayaḥ | nominative plural | people of no understanding. a- (अ-) on buddhi (बुद्धि). |
| परम् | param | accusative singular | higher. |
| भावम् | bhāvam | accusative singular | state, way of being. |
| अजानन्तः | ajānantaḥ | nominative plural, present participle | not knowing. a- (अ-) on the participle of jñā (ज्ञा). |
| मम | mama | genitive | my. |
| अव्ययम् | avyayam | accusative singular | imperishable. Agrees with bhāvam (भावम्). |
| अनुत्तमम् | anuttamam | accusative singular | with nothing higher. Agrees with bhāvam (भावम्). |
The phrases
अव्यक्तम् व्यक्तिम् आपन्नम् मन्यन्ते माम् अबुद्धयः avyaktam vyaktim āpannam manyante mām abuddhayaḥ is the mistake. People without understanding think of him as the unmanifest who has entered a manifestation. They take the appearance for a fall into being visible, and they stop there.
परम् भावम् अजानन्तः मम अव्ययम् अनुत्तमम् param bhāvam ajānantaḥ mama avyayam anuttamam is what they do not know. His higher state, imperishable, with nothing above it. The participle ajānantaḥ (अजानन्तः) agrees with abuddhayaḥ (अबुद्धयः). Not knowing that, they think the first thought.
Sanskrit in this line
ajānantaḥ (अजानन्तः) is the present participle of jñā (ज्ञा), with the negative a- (अ-) in front. Nominative plural, "not knowing." Its subject is abuddhayaḥ (अबुद्धयः). The thing not known is the accusative param bhāvam (परम् भावम्).
Before mama (मम), the visarga becomes o (ओ), because m (म्) is voiced. The recited word is ajānanto (अजानन्तो). The participle is still plural, still negative. The a- (अ-) is the same negative as on abuddhayaḥ (अबुद्धयः) and avyaktam (अव्यक्तम्) and avyayam (अव्ययम्). Four negatives in the verse, and only this one is a verb-form.
Say it back
What they think, then what they do not know. If avyaktam (अव्यक्तम्) is dropped and he is only "born," the mistake they make has been replaced by a thinner one. Stay here.