7.26
वेदाहं समतीतानि वर्तमानानि चार्जुन ।
भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन ॥
vedāhaṃ samatītāni vartamānāni cārjuna
bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni māṃ tu veda na kaścana
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
I know the beings that have passed, that are present, and that will be, Arjuna (अर्जुन). But me, no one knows.
नेपालीमा
बितेका, अहिलेका र आउने भूतहरूलाई म चिन्छु, हे अर्जुन। तर मलाई कसैले चिन्दैन।
Where it sits
7.25 said the world does not recognize him because he is wrapped. This verse states the asymmetry without the wrapping. His knowing covers every being in every time. Their knowing does not cover him. The next verse says what, at creation, puts beings into that confusion.
Split: वेद + अहम् + सम्-अतीतानि + वर्तमानानि + च + अर्जुन + भविष्याणि + च + भूतानि + माम् + तु + वेद + न + कः + चन
veda + aham + sam-atītāni + vartamānāni + ca + arjuna + bhaviṣyāṇi + ca + bhūtāni + mām + tu + veda + na + kaḥ + cana
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| वेद | veda | perfect, 1st singular, of vid (विद्) | I know. This perfect is used as a present. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. It fixes veda (वेद) as "I know." |
| सम्-अतीतानि | sam-atītāni | accusative plural, neuter | those gone by, the past ones. From ati-i (अति-इ), "go beyond." |
| वर्तमानानि | vartamānāni | accusative plural, neuter | those present. Present participle of vṛt (वृत्), "turn, proceed." |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| अर्जुन | arjuna | vocative | Arjuna (अर्जुन). |
| भविष्याणि | bhaviṣyāṇi | accusative plural, neuter | those that will be. Future participle of bhū (भू). |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| भूतानि | bhūtāni | accusative plural | beings. |
| माम् | mām | accusative | me. |
| तु | tu | indeclinable | but. |
| वेद | veda | perfect, 3rd singular | knows. The same form, now "he knows," because the subject is kaḥ cana (कः चन). |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| कः | kaḥ | nominative | who. |
| चन | cana | indeclinable | the indefinite particle, like cit (चित्). With kaḥ (कः) and na (न), "no one." |
The phrases
वेद अहम् सम्-अतीतानि वर्तमानानि भविष्याणि च भूतानि veda aham sam-atītāni vartamānāni bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni is his knowing. Beings that have gone, beings that are here, beings that will be. All three times are accusative, the object of the first veda (वेद).
mām tu veda na kaḥ cana (माम् तु वेद न कः चन) turns it over. But him, no one knows. The tu (तु) is the whole turn. The object mām (माम्) is put first so the contrast is heard before the verb.
Sanskrit in this line
veda (वेद) is one shape for two persons. With aham (अहम्) it is "I know." With kaḥ cana (कः चन) it is "anyone knows." The ending does not mark the person. The pronoun does. It is not the present vetti (वेत्ति) of 7.3, which is third person only.
कः + चन kaḥ + cana is kaścana (कश्चन). aḥ (अः) before c (च्) becomes ś (श्), the same change as kaścit (कश्चित्) in 7.3. cana (चन) and cit (चित्) are the same kind of particle. Here na kaḥ cana (न कः चन) is "not anyone."
च + अर्जुन ca + arjuna is cārjuna (चार्जुन). अ + अ a + a becomes ā (आ). The vocative is inside the first sentence, not the start of the second.
Say it back
What he knows, across the three times, then the tu (तु). If na kaścana (न कश्चन) softens to "few know him," stay here. The line says no one.