10.17
कथं विद्यामहं योगिंस्त्वां सदा परिचिन्तयन् ।
केषु केषु च भावेषु चिन्त्योऽसि भगवन्मया ॥
kathaṃ vidyām ahaṃ yogiṃs tvāṃ sadā paricintayan
keṣu keṣu ca bhāveṣu cintyo 'si bhagavan mayā
Arjuna continues. Under the large request, the practical one.
The verse
How may I know you, yogin, I who am always contemplating you? In which states, and in which, are you to be meditated on by me, blessed one?
नेपालीमा
हे योगी, सधैँ तपाईंको चिन्तन गर्ने म तपाईंलाई कसरी चिन्न सक्छु? हे भगवन्, कुन कुन भावमा तपाईंलाई मैले ध्यान गर्नुपर्छ?
Where it sits
10.16 asked for the splendors without remainder. This verse asks in which forms the meditation sits. The list from 10.20 on is the answer to keṣu keṣu (केषु केषु). He asked for forms to meditate on, and he will be given a rule that covers the forms he is not told.
Split: कथम् + विद्याम् + अहम् + योगिन् + त्वाम् + सदा + परिचिन्तयन् + केषु + केषु + च + भावेषु + चिन्त्यः + असि + भगवन् + मया
katham + vidyām + aham + yogin + tvām + sadā + paricintayan + keṣu + keṣu + ca + bhāveṣu + cintyaḥ + asi + bhagavan + mayā
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| कथम् | katham | indeclinable | how. |
| विद्याम् | vidyām | optative, 1st singular of vid (विद्) | may I know. I would know. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| योगिन् | yogin | vocative of yogin (योगिन्) | yogin. |
| त्वाम् | tvām | accusative | you. |
| सदा | sadā | indeclinable | always. |
| परिचिन्तयन् | paricintayan | present participle, nominative singular | contemplating. Thinking upon, from all sides. pari (परि) is "around, fully." |
| केषु | keṣu | locative plural of kim (किम्) | in which. |
| केषु | keṣu | locative plural | in which. The doubling asks it again. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| भावेषु | bhāveṣu | locative plural | in which states. In which beings, in which forms. |
| चिन्त्यः | cintyaḥ | gerundive, nominative singular | to be thought of. To be meditated on. |
| असि | asi | present, 2nd singular of as (अस्) | you are. |
| भगवन् | bhagavan | vocative | blessed one. |
| मया | mayā | instrumental of aham (अहम्) | by me. |
The phrases
कथं विद्याम् अहं योगिन् त्वां सदा परिचिन्तयन् kathaṃ vidyām ahaṃ yogin tvāṃ sadā paricintayan is the personal question. How may I know you, always contemplating you? paricintayan (परिचिन्तयन्) describes aham (अहम्). The contemplating is already what he is doing. He asks how the knowing goes with it.
keṣu keṣu ca bhāveṣu cintyaḥ asi bhagavan mayā (केषु केषु च भावेषु चिन्त्यः असि भगवन् मया) is the question the list will answer. In which states, and in which, are you to be meditated on by me? The doubling of keṣu (केषु) will not be satisfied by one form.
Sanskrit in this line
cintyaḥ (चिन्त्यः) is a gerundive, "to be thought." The --ya- (य-) with this ending marks fitness or what one is to do, not a past event. cintyaḥ (चिन्त्यः) + asi (असि) is cintyo 'si (चिन्त्योऽसि), "you are to be meditated on." aḥ (अः) + a (अ) becomes o ' (ओऽ).
vidyām (विद्याम्) is optative, "may I know." It is the same root as vetti (वेत्ति) and vettha (वेत्थ), in the mood of a wish.
Say it back
The doubled question. keṣu keṣu ca bhāveṣu (केषु केषु च भावेषु). If it comes out as a request for a single form, stay here. The doubling is the point.