8.3
श्रीभगवानुवाच
अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते ।
भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥
śrībhagavān uvāca
akṣaraṃ brahma paramaṃ svabhāvo 'dhyātmam ucyate
bhūtabhāvodbhavakaro visargaḥ karmasaṃjñitaḥ
śrībhagavān (श्रीभगवान्) is speaking. On this field that is Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण). uvāca (उवाच) stands outside the meter.
The verse
The supreme imperishable is brahman (ब्रह्म). One's own being is called adhyātma (अध्यात्म). The sending-forth that brings the being of creatures into existence is what is named action.
नेपालीमा
परम अविनाशी ब्रह्म हो, र आफ्नै भावलाई अध्यात्म भनिन्छ। प्राणीहरूको भावलाई अस्तित्वमा ल्याउने पठाइलाई कर्म भनिन्छ।
Where it sits
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) takes the list in the order it was asked. Brahman (ब्रह्म), adhyātma (अध्यात्म), action. He does not start from the death question. The other three names wait until 8.4. The answer is identification: this word is that thing.
Split: अक्षरम् + ब्रह्म + परमम् + स्वभावः + अधि-आत्मम् + उच्यते + भूत-भाव-उद्भव-करः + विसर्गः + कर्म-संज्ञितः
akṣaram + brahma + paramam + svabhāvaḥ + adhi-ātmam + ucyate + bhūta-bhāva-udbhava-karaḥ + visargaḥ + karma-saṃjñitaḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अक्षरम् | akṣaram | nominative neuter | the imperishable. a (अ) "not," kṣara (क्षर) "perishing." |
| ब्रह्म | brahma | nominative of brahman (ब्रह्मन्) | brahman. |
| परमम् | paramam | nominative neuter | supreme. |
| स्वभावः | svabhāvaḥ | nominative | one's own being. sva (स्व) "own," bhāva (भाव) "being." |
| अधि-आत्मम् | adhi-ātmam | nominative neuter | adhyātma. The name from 8.1. |
| उच्यते | ucyate | present passive, 3rd singular | is called. |
| भूत-भाव-उद्भव-करः | bhūta-bhāva-udbhava-karaḥ | nominative | causing the arising of the being of creatures. kara (कर) "making," udbhava (उद्भव) "arising." |
| विसर्गः | visargaḥ | nominative | the sending-forth. |
| कर्म-संज्ञितः | karma-saṃjñitaḥ | nominative | given the name "action." saṃjñita (संज्ञित) "named." |
The phrases
akṣaraṃ brahma paramam (अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमम्) answers the first question with three nominatives and no verb. The imperishable, brahman, the supreme. They name one thing. paramam (परमम्) can sit on either neuter. Read it with akṣaram (अक्षरम्): the supreme imperishable is brahman.
स्वभावः अध्यात्मम् उच्यते svabhāvaḥ adhyātmam ucyate answers the second. One's own being is what is called adhyātma (अध्यात्म). svabhāvaḥ (स्वभावः) is masculine. adhyātmam (अध्यात्मम्) is neuter because it is the name, the term Arjuna (अर्जुन) asked for, not an adjective of svabhāvaḥ (स्वभावः).
bhūtabhāvodbhavakaraḥ visargaḥ karmasaṃjñitaḥ (भूतभावोद्भवकरः विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः) answers kiṃ karma (किं कर्म). The sending-forth that makes the being of creatures arise is the thing that carries the name action. All three words are nominative masculine. One noun, two descriptions.
Sanskrit in this line
Inside bhūtabhāvodbhavakaraḥ (भूतभावोद्भवकरः), भाव + उद्भव bhāva + udbhava is recited bhāvodbhava (भावोद्भव). अ + उ a + u becomes o (ओ). That o (ओ) is not a separate word. It is the joint of the compound. The same joint, with an avagraha, is स्वभावः + अध्यात्मम् svabhāvaḥ + adhyātmam, recited svabhāvo 'dhyātmam (स्वभावोऽध्यात्मम्), because अः + अ aḥ + a becomes o (ओ) and the lost a (अ) is marked.
Say it back
Three answers, in the order of 8.1. If visargaḥ (विसर्गः) comes out as the punctuation mark, stay here. Here it is a noun, the sending-forth that is called action.