8.11
यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्ति
विशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः ।
यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति
तत्ते पदं संग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये ॥
yad akṣaraṃ vedavido vadanti
viśanti yad yatayo vītarāgāḥ
yad icchanto brahmacaryaṃ caranti
tat te padaṃ saṃgraheṇa pravakṣye
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) continues. He is about to say, briefly, the station that the knowers already speak of. Meter: triṣṭubh (त्रिष्टुभ्). Four quarters, eleven syllables each, forty-four in the verse.
The verse
That imperishable which knowers of the Veda speak of, which strivers free of passion enter, and desiring which they walk in brahman — that station I shall declare to you in brief.
नेपालीमा
वेद जान्नेहरूले जुन अविनाशी भन्छन्, राग छोडेका प्रयास गर्नेहरू जसमा पस्छन्, र जसलाई चाहेर तिनीहरू ब्रह्ममा हिँड्छन्, त्यो स्थान म तिमीलाई छोटकरीमा भन्नेछु।
Where it sits
He ties the person of 8.9–8.10 to a station the Veda already names, and which men of discipline already try to enter. saṃgraheṇa (संग्रहेण) means the next two verses are the short form, not a new system. Then he will say how near that station is for the man who remembers him.
Split: यत् + अक्षरम् + वेद-विदः + वदन्ति + विशन्ति + यत् + यतयः + वीत-रागाः + यत् + इच्छन्तः + ब्रह्म-चर्यम् + चरन्ति + तत् + ते + पदम् + संग्रहेण + प्रवक्ष्ये
yat + akṣaram + veda-vidaḥ + vadanti + viśanti + yat + yatayaḥ + vīta-rāgāḥ + yat + icchantaḥ + brahma-caryam + caranti + tat + te + padam + saṃgraheṇa + pravakṣye
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| यत् | yat | accusative neuter | which. Object of vadanti (वदन्ति). |
| अक्षरम् | akṣaram | accusative neuter | the imperishable. The word from 8.3. |
| वेद-विदः | veda-vidaḥ | nominative plural | knowers of the Veda. vid (विद्) "knower." |
| वदन्ति | vadanti | present, 3rd plural | they say. |
| विशन्ति | viśanti | present, 3rd plural | they enter. From viś (विश्). |
| यत् | yat | accusative neuter | which. |
| यतयः | yatayaḥ | nominative plural of yati (यति) | strivers, ascetics. |
| वीत-रागाः | vīta-rāgāḥ | nominative plural, bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) | those whose passion has gone. vīta (वीत) "departed," rāga (राग) "passion." |
| यत् | yat | accusative neuter | which. |
| इच्छन्तः | icchantaḥ | present participle, nominative plural | desiring. |
| ब्रह्म-चर्यम् | brahma-caryam | accusative | walking in brahman, the conduct of brahma (ब्रह्म). |
| चरन्ति | caranti | present, 3rd plural | they practice, they walk. |
| तत् | tat | accusative neuter | that. |
| ते | te | dative of tvam (त्वम्) | to you. |
| पदम् | padam | accusative | the step, the station, the place. |
| संग्रहेण | saṃgraheṇa | instrumental | in brief, by a summary. |
| प्रवक्ष्ये | pravakṣye | future, 1st singular, middle | I shall declare. pra (प्र) + vac (वच्). |
The phrases
यत् अक्षरं वेदविदः वदन्ति yat akṣaraṃ vedavidaḥ vadanti is the first relative. The imperishable which knowers of the Veda speak of. This akṣaram (अक्षरम्) is the one 8.3 identified with brahman.
viśanti yat yatayaḥ vītarāgāḥ (विशन्ति यत् यतयः वीतरागाः) is the second. Which strivers whose passion has gone enter. The object yat (यत्) is the same station. The verb is now "enter," not "speak of."
यत् इच्छन्तः ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति yat icchantaḥ brahmacaryaṃ caranti is the third. Desiring which, they walk the walk of brahman. yat (यत्) is the object of icchantaḥ (इच्छन्तः). brahmacaryam (ब्रह्मचर्यम्) is the object of caranti (चरन्ति).
tat te padaṃ saṃgraheṇa pravakṣye (तत् ते पदं संग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये) gathers the three relatives into one promise. That station I shall tell you in brief. The telling is 8.12 and 8.13.
Sanskrit in this line
A final t (त्) does not stay t (त्) in front of a vowel or in front of y (य्). यत् + अक्षरम् yat + akṣaram is yad akṣaram (यदक्षरम्). यत् + इच्छन्तः yat + icchantaḥ is yad icchantaḥ (यदिच्छन्तः). यत् + यतयः yat + yatayaḥ is yad yatayaḥ (यद्यतयः), the same voicing you heard in anusmared yaḥ (अनुस्मरेद्यः). When you split, the word is yat (यत्) again.
Say it back
Three yat (यत्) clauses, then tat padam (तत् पदम्). If the third yat (यत्) is taken as the object of caranti (चरन्ति) instead of the object of icchantaḥ (इच्छन्तः), the desire and the walk have been collapsed.