9.14
सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश्च दृढव्रताः ।
नमस्यन्तश्च मां भक्त्या
नित्ययुक्ता उपासते ॥
satataṃ kīrtayanto māṃ yatantaś ca dṛḍhavratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṃ bhaktyā nityayuktā upāsate
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking to Arjuna (अर्जुन). The subject is still the mahā-ātmānaḥ (महा-आत्मानः).
The verse
Constantly praising me, and striving, firm in their vows, and bowing to me with devotion, always yoked, they worship.
नेपालीमा
तिनीहरू सधैँ मेरो प्रशंसा गर्दै, प्रयास गर्दै, व्रतमा दृढ भएर, भक्तिले मलाई ढोग्दै, सधैँ युक्त भएर मेरो पूजा गर्छन्।
Where it sits
9.13 said they worship with no other mind. This verse is that worship as a set of acts: praise, effort, a firm vow, a bow, a steady yoke.
Split: सततम् + कीर्तयन्तः + माम् + यतन्तः + च + दृढ-व्रताः + नमस्यन्तः + च + माम् + भक्त्या + नित्य-युक्ताः + उपासते
satatam + kīrtayantaḥ + mām + yatantaḥ + ca + dṛḍha-vratāḥ + namasyantaḥ + ca + mām + bhaktyā + nitya-yuktāḥ + upāsate
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| सततम् | satatam | indeclinable | constantly. |
| कीर्तयन्तः | kīrtayantaḥ | nominative plural | praising, reciting the name. kīrtayati (कीर्तयति). |
| माम् | mām | accusative | me. |
| यतन्तः | yatantaḥ | nominative plural | striving. yat (यत्). |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| दृढ-व्रताः | dṛḍha-vratāḥ | nominative plural | of firm vow. dṛḍha (दृढ) is firm. vrata (व्रत) is a vow. |
| नमस्यन्तः | namasyantaḥ | nominative plural | bowing. namasyati (नमस्यति), from namas (नमस्). |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| माम् | mām | accusative | me. |
| भक्त्या | bhaktyā | instrumental | with devotion. bhakti (भक्ति). |
| नित्य-युक्ताः | nitya-yuktāḥ | nominative plural | always yoked. |
| उपासते | upāsate | present, 3rd plural, middle | they sit near, they worship. upa-ās (उप-आस्). |
The phrases
satataṃ kīrtayantaḥ mām (सततं कीर्तयन्तः माम्) is praise that does not take a day off. yatantaḥ ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (यतन्तः च दृढ-व्रताः) puts striving next to it, and a vow that stays firm.
namasyantaḥ ca māṃ bhaktyā (नमस्यन्तः च मां भक्त्या) is the bow, and the devotion it is done with. nitya-yuktāḥ upāsate (नित्य-युक्ताः उपासते) is the finite verb the participles were waiting for. Always yoked, they worship.
Sanskrit in this line
यतन्तः + च yatantaḥ + ca is recited yatantaś ca (यतन्तश्च). aḥ (अः) before the voiceless c (च्) becomes ś (श्). नमस्यन्तः + च namasyantaḥ + ca does the same: namasyantaś ca (नमस्यन्तश्च). kīrtayantaḥ (कीर्तयन्तः) before mām (माम्) is kīrtayanto (कीर्तयन्तो), because aḥ (अः) before a voiced consonant becomes o (ओ), as in 9.6.
Say it back
Cover the English. Say the praise, the striving, and the bow, then the verb. If namasyantaḥ (नमस्यन्तः) drops, stay here.