9.20
त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापा
यज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते ।
ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोकम्
अश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान् ॥
traividyā māṃ somapāḥ pūtapāpā yajñair iṣṭvā svargatiṃ prārthayante
te puṇyam āsādya surendralokam aśnanti divyān divi devabhogān
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking to Arjuna (अर्जुन). The line is longer from here through 9.21. Meter: triṣṭubh (त्रिष्टुभ्). Four quarters, eleven syllables each, forty-four in the verse.
The verse
Knowers of the three Vedas, drinkers of soma (सोम), their evils cleansed, worship me with sacrifices and pray for the way to heaven; reaching that merit, the world of Indra (इन्द्र), they enjoy divine pleasures in heaven.
नेपालीमा
तीन वेद जान्ने, सोम पिउने, खराबी मेटिएका मानिसहरू यज्ञद्वारा मलाई पुज्छन् र स्वर्गको बाटो माग्छन्। इन्द्रको लोकरूपी त्यो पुण्य पाएर तिनीहरूले स्वर्गमा दिव्य सुख भोग्छन्।
Where it sits
The "I am" breaks off. A different worshipper steps in, one who wants heaven and gets it. The long line holds that success. 9.21 will spend it.
Split: त्रैविद्याः + माम् + सोम-पाः + पूत-पापाः + यज्ञैः + इष्ट्वा + स्वर्-गतिम् + प्रार्थयन्ते + ते + पुण्यम् + आसाद्य + सुर-इन्द्र-लोकम् + अश्नन्ति + दिव्यान् + दिवि + देव-भोगान्
traividyāḥ + mām + soma-pāḥ + pūta-pāpāḥ + yajñaiḥ + iṣṭvā + svar-gatim + prārthayante + te + puṇyam + āsādya + sura-indra-lokam + aśnanti + divyān + divi + deva-bhogān
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| त्रैविद्याः | traividyāḥ | nominative plural | those who know the three Vedas. tri (त्रि) "three," vidyā (विद्या) "knowing." |
| माम् | mām | accusative | me. |
| सोम-पाः | soma-pāḥ | nominative plural | drinkers of soma (सोम). pā (पा) is "drink." |
| पूत-पापाः | pūta-pāpāḥ | nominative plural | whose evils have been cleansed. pūta (पूत) is purified. pāpa (पाप) is evil. |
| यज्ञैः | yajñaiḥ | instrumental plural | by sacrifices. |
| इष्ट्वा | iṣṭvā | gerund of yaj (यज्) | having sacrificed. |
| स्वर्-गतिम् | svar-gatim | accusative | the going to heaven. svar (स्वर्) is heaven. |
| प्रार्थयन्ते | prārthayante | present, 3rd plural | they pray for, they ask. pra-arth (प्र-अर्थ्). |
| ते | te | nominative plural | they. |
| पुण्यम् | puṇyam | accusative | merit. |
| आसाद्य | āsādya | gerund | having reached. ā-sad (आ-सद्). |
| सुर-इन्द्र-लोकम् | sura-indra-lokam | accusative | the world of Indra (इन्द्र) of the gods. sura (सुर) is a god. loka (लोक) is a world. |
| अश्नन्ति | aśnanti | present, 3rd plural | they eat, they enjoy. aś (अश्). |
| दिव्यान् | divyān | accusative plural | divine. |
| दिवि | divi | locative of div (दिव्) | in heaven. |
| देव-भोगान् | deva-bhogān | accusative plural | the enjoyments of the gods. |
The phrases
traividyāḥ māṃ soma-pāḥ pūta-pāpāḥ (त्रैविद्याः मां सोम-पाः पूत-पापाः) are the knowers of the three Vedas, drinkers of soma (सोम), their evils cleansed, and the mām (माम्) says the sacrifice is aimed at him.
yajñaiḥ iṣṭvā svar-gatim prārthayante (यज्ञैः इष्ट्वा स्वर्-गतिम् प्रार्थयन्ते) is what they ask. They sacrifice, and the thing they pray for is the road to heaven.
ते पुण्यम् आसाद्य सुर-इन्द्र-लोकम् अश्नन्ति te puṇyam āsādya sura-indra-lokam aśnanti is them once they arrive. They reach the meritorious world of Indra (इन्द्र) and eat divine enjoyments there. divi (दिवि) is where those enjoyments are: in heaven.
Sanskrit in this line
Count this verse by elevens, not by eights. Each quarter has eleven syllables. The two "having" words show the two gerund endings you already know: iṣṭvā (इष्ट्वा) has no prefix, so it ends in --tvā (त्वा); āsādya (आसाद्य) has the prefix ā (आ), so it ends in --ya (य).
Say it back
Cover the English. Say what they pray for. If svar-gatim (स्वर्-गतिम्) comes out as release, stay here.