9.12
मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो
मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः ।
राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव
प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः ॥
moghāśā moghakarmāṇo moghajñānā vicetasaḥ
rākṣasīm āsurīṃ caiva prakṛtiṃ mohinīṃ śritāḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking to Arjuna (अर्जुन). The subject is still the mūḍhāḥ (मूढाः) of 9.11.
The verse
Empty in hope, empty in action, empty in knowledge, mind scattered, they resort to a bewildering rākṣasa (राक्षस) and asura (असुर) nature.
नेपालीमा
आशामा रित्ता, कर्ममा रित्ता, ज्ञानमा रित्ता, मन छरिएका तिनीहरू मोह पार्ने राक्षस र असुर प्रकृतिमा अड्छन्।
Where it sits
The slight in 9.11 has a fruit. What they hope, what they do, and what they know comes to nothing, and the nature they lean on is the bewildering one. 9.13 turns with tu (तु) to the people who lean the other way.
Split: मोघ-आशाः + मोघ-कर्माणः + मोघ-ज्ञानाः + विचेतसः + राक्षसीम् + आसुरीम् + च + एव + प्रकृतिम् + मोहिनीम् + श्रिताः
mogha-āśāḥ + mogha-karmāṇaḥ + mogha-jñānāḥ + vicetasaḥ + rākṣasīm + āsurīm + ca + eva + prakṛtim + mohinīm + śritāḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| मोघ-आशाः | mogha-āśāḥ | nominative plural | whose hopes are empty. mogha (मोघ) is vain, fruitless. āśā (आशा) is hope. |
| मोघ-कर्माणः | mogha-karmāṇaḥ | nominative plural | whose actions are empty. |
| मोघ-ज्ञानाः | mogha-jñānāḥ | nominative plural | whose knowledge is empty. |
| विचेतसः | vicetasaḥ | nominative plural | those whose mind is scattered. cetas (चेतस्) is mind. |
| राक्षसीम् | rākṣasīm | accusative feminine | belonging to the rākṣasa (राक्षस). Agrees with prakṛtim (प्रकृतिम्). |
| आसुरीम् | āsurīm | accusative feminine | belonging to the asura (असुर). |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | indeed. |
| प्रकृतिम् | prakṛtim | accusative | a nature, a disposition. |
| मोहिनीम् | mohinīm | accusative feminine | bewildering. From muh (मुह्). |
| श्रिताः | śritāḥ | nominative plural | having resorted to. Past participle of śri (श्रि). |
The phrases
mogha-āśāḥ mogha-karmāṇaḥ mogha-jñānāḥ (मोघ-आशाः मोघ-कर्माणः मोघ-ज्ञानाः) are three compounds with one shape. Hope, action, and knowledge are each empty. vicetasaḥ (विचेतसः) adds the mind that cannot hold a direction.
राक्षसीम् आसुरीम् प्रकृतिं मोहिनीम् rākṣasīm āsurīm prakṛtiṃ mohinīm is what they have resorted to. A nature that belongs to the rākṣasa (राक्षस) and the asura (असुर), and that bewilders. śritāḥ (श्रिताः) is "resorted to," the same job āśritam (आश्रितम्) had in 9.11, now said of them.
Sanskrit in this line
mogha-āśāḥ (मोघ-आशाः) is a bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि). The compound names the person, not the hope. "They whose hope is mogha (मोघ)." mogha-karmāṇaḥ (मोघ-कर्माणः) and mogha-jñānāḥ (मोघ-ज्ञानाः) work the same way. च + एव ca + eva is recited caiva (चैव): अ + ए a + e becomes ai (ऐ).
Say it back
Cover the English. Say the three empty things, then the nature they resort to. If one of the three mogha (मोघ) words drops, stay here.