9.31
क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा
शश्वच्छान्तिं निगच्छति ।
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि
न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति ॥
kṣipraṃ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac chāntiṃ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking to Arjuna (अर्जुन). The "he" is the worshipper of 9.30.
The verse
Quickly he becomes one whose self is dharma (धर्म), and he attains lasting peace; promise it, son of Kuntī (कुन्ती): my devotee does not perish.
नेपालीमा
ऊ चाँडै धर्मात्मा हुन्छ, र दिगो शान्ति पाउँछ। हे कुन्तीपुत्र, मेरो भक्त नष्ट हुँदैन भनी प्रतिज्ञा गर।
Where it sits
9.30 told the hearer what to think of a bad life that has turned. This verse tells him the speed, the peace, and the sentence he himself must stand behind. The promise is now Arjuna's (अर्जुन) to say.
Split: क्षिप्रम् + भवति + धर्म-आत्मा + शश्वत् + शान्तिम् + निगच्छति + कौन्तेय + प्रतिजानीहि + न + मे + भक्तः + प्रणश्यति
kṣipram + bhavati + dharma-ātmā + śaśvat + śāntim + nigacchati + kaunteya + pratijānīhi + na + me + bhaktaḥ + praṇaśyati
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| क्षिप्रम् | kṣipram | indeclinable | quickly. |
| भवति | bhavati | present, 3rd singular | he becomes. |
| धर्म-आत्मा | dharma-ātmā | nominative | one whose self is dharma (धर्म). |
| शश्वत् | śaśvat | indeclinable | perpetually. |
| शान्तिम् | śāntim | accusative | peace. |
| निगच्छति | nigacchati | present, 3rd singular | he goes to, he attains. ni-gam (नि-गम्). |
| कौन्तेय | kaunteya | vocative | son of Kuntī (कुन्ती). |
| प्रतिजानीहि | pratijānīhi | imperative, 2nd singular | declare, promise. prati-jñā (प्रति-ज्ञा). |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| मे | me | genitive | my. |
| भक्तः | bhaktaḥ | nominative | devotee. |
| प्रणश्यति | praṇaśyati | present, 3rd singular | perishes, is lost. pra-naś (प्र-नश्). |
The phrases
kṣipraṃ bhavati dharma-ātmā (क्षिप्रं भवति धर्म-आत्मा) is the speed of 9.30's resolve. Quickly he becomes one whose self is dharma (धर्म). śaśvat śāntim nigacchati (शश्वत् शान्तिम् निगच्छति) is where he goes: to a peace that lasts.
kaunteya pratijānīhi (कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि) turns and gives Arjuna (अर्जुन) the job. Declare it. Promise it. na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति) is the sentence he is to promise. My devotee does not perish.
Sanskrit in this line
शश्वत् + शान्तिम् śaśvat + śāntim is recited śaśvacchāntim (शश्वच्छान्तिम्). त् + श् t + ś becomes च्छ cch. The t (त्) and the ś (श्) are not sitting side by side in the recited line. They have become one other sound.
Say it back
Cover the English. Say the promise. If bhaktaḥ (भक्तः) is allowed to perish, stay here.