8.2
अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन ।
प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥
adhiyajñaḥ kathaṃ ko 'tra dehe 'smin madhusūdana
prayāṇakāle ca kathaṃ jñeyo 'si niyatātmabhiḥ
Arjuna (अर्जुन) is still speaking. No new uvāca (उवाच). The list of names is not finished, and then the question changes.
The verse
Who is the adhiyajña (अधियज्ञ), and how, here in this body, slayer of Madhu (मधु)? And how are you to be known at the time of departure by those whose selves are held steady?
नेपालीमा
अधियज्ञ को हो, र यही शरीरमा कसरी, हे मधुको हन्ता? अनि आत्मालाई स्थिर राख्नेहरूले प्रस्थानको बेला तपाईंलाई कसरी चिन्न सक्छन्?
Where it sits
8.1 asked for definitions. This verse adds the one name that will be answered "I," and then asks the question the rest of the chapter does not leave: how Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is known when a man goes. The definitions occupy 8.3 and 8.4. The departure occupies everything after.
Split: अधि-यज्ञः + कथम् + कः + अत्र + देहे + अस्मिन् + मधु-सूदन + प्रयाण-काले + च + कथम् + ज्ञेयः + असि + नियत-आत्मभिः
adhi-yajñaḥ + katham + kaḥ + atra + dehe + asmin + madhu-sūdana + prayāṇa-kāle + ca + katham + jñeyaḥ + asi + niyata-ātmabhiḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अधि-यज्ञः | adhi-yajñaḥ | nominative | the adhiyajña, what is over the sacrifice. yajña (यज्ञ) "sacrifice." |
| कथम् | katham | indeclinable | how. |
| कः | kaḥ | nominative masculine | who. |
| अत्र | atra | indeclinable | here. |
| देहे | dehe | locative | in the body. |
| अस्मिन् | asmin | locative of idam (इदम्) | in this. |
| मधु-सूदन | madhu-sūdana | vocative | O slayer of Madhu (मधु). sūdana (सूदन) "destroyer." A name of Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण). |
| प्रयाण-काले | prayāṇa-kāle | locative | at the time of going forth. prayāṇa (प्रयाण) "departure." |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| कथम् | katham | indeclinable | how. |
| ज्ञेयः | jñeyaḥ | gerundive, nominative | to be known. From jñā (ज्ञा). |
| असि | asi | present, 2nd singular of as (अस्) | you are. |
| नियत-आत्मभिः | niyata-ātmabhiḥ | instrumental plural, bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) | by those whose selves are held steady. niyata (नियत) "restrained." |
The phrases
adhiyajñaḥ kathaṃ kaḥ atra dehe asmin (अधियज्ञः कथं कः अत्र देहे अस्मिन्) is the sixth name, and it is a person, not a neuter term. Who, and how, is the adhiyajña (अधियज्ञ) here in this body. katham (कथम्) and kaḥ (कः) are both questions. madhusūdana (मधुसूदन) is again the man addressed.
prayāṇakāle ca kathaṃ jñeyaḥ asi (प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयः असि) turns from the list to the hour of leaving. "And how are you to be known at the time of departure." jñeyaḥ asi (ज्ञेयः असि) is "you are to be known," not "you know."
niyatātmabhiḥ (नियतात्मभिः) is who does the knowing. Instrumental plural, "by men whose selves are held in check." The gerundive jñeyaḥ (ज्ञेयः) likes an instrumental of the knower.
Sanskrit in this line
An a (अ) that disappears after e (ए) or after o (ओ) from aḥ (अः) is marked by ऽ, the avagraha. कः + अत्र kaḥ + atra is recited ko 'tra (कोऽत्र). देहे + अस्मिन् dehe + asmin is dehe 'smin (देहेऽस्मिन्). ज्ञेयः + असि jñeyaḥ + asi is jñeyo 'si (ज्ञेयोऽसि). Three lost short a (अ) vowels in one verse. The ऽ is not a pause you skip. It is the place the a (अ) was.
Say it back
The sixth name, the body it is in, and the time of leaving. If prayāṇakāle (प्रयाणकाले) comes out as a place instead of a time, or if jñeyaḥ asi (ज्ञेयः असि) comes out as "you know," stay here.