10.24
पुरोधसां च मुख्यं मां विद्धि पार्थ बृहस्पतिम् ।
सेनानीनामहं स्कन्दः सरसामस्मि सागरः ॥
purodhasāṃ ca mukhyaṃ māṃ viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim
senānīnām ahaṃ skandaḥ sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) continues. For one line the grammar changes from "I am" to "know me as."
The verse
And know me, Pārtha, as the chief of the household priests, Bṛhaspati; of army-leaders I am Skanda; of lakes I am the ocean.
नेपालीमा
हे पार्थ, गृहपुरोहितका प्रमुख बृहस्पति म हुँ भनेर जान। सेनापतिहरूमध्ये म स्कन्द हुँ, जलाशयहरूमध्ये म समुद्र हुँ।
Where it sits
Arjuna asked vidyām (विद्याम्), "may I know," in 10.17. viddhi (विद्धि) hands that verb back as a command. The list is not only a recital. It is what he is told to know him as.
Split: पुरोधसाम् + च + मुख्यम् + माम् + विद्धि + पार्थ + बृहस्पतिम् + सेनानीनाम् + अहम् + स्कन्दः + सरसाम् + अस्मि + सागरः
purodhasām + ca + mukhyam + mām + viddhi + pārtha + bṛhaspatim + senānīnām + aham + skandaḥ + sarasām + asmi + sāgaraḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| पुरोधसाम् | purodhasām | genitive plural of purodhas (पुरोधस्) | of the household priests. The one placed in front. puraḥ (पुरः) "in front," dhā (धा) "place." |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| मुख्यम् | mukhyam | accusative singular | the chief. Agrees with mām (माम्). |
| माम् | mām | accusative | me. |
| विद्धि | viddhi | imperative, 2nd singular of vid (विद्) | know. |
| पार्थ | pārtha | vocative | Pārtha (पार्थ). Son of Pṛthā (पृथा). Arjuna. |
| बृहस्पतिम् | bṛhaspatim | accusative | Bṛhaspati (बृहस्पति). In apposition with mām (माम्). |
| सेनानीनाम् | senānīnām | genitive plural | of army-leaders. senā (सेना) is an army. nī (नी) is "leading." |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| स्कन्दः | skandaḥ | nominative | Skanda (स्कन्द). |
| सरसाम् | sarasām | genitive plural of saras (सरस्) | of lakes. |
| अस्मि | asmi | present, 1st singular | I am. |
| सागरः | sāgaraḥ | nominative | the ocean. |
The phrases
purodhasāṃ ca mukhyaṃ māṃ viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim (पुरोधसां च मुख्यं मां विद्धि पार्थ बृहस्पतिम्) is the command. Know me, Pārtha, as the chief of the household priests, Bṛhaspati. mukhyam (मुख्यम्), mām (माम्), and bṛhaspatim (बृहस्पतिम्) are accusative. The genitive purodhasām (पुरोधसाम्) is still the group.
सेनानीनाम् अहं स्कन्दः सरसाम् अस्मि सागरः senānīnām ahaṃ skandaḥ sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ returns to the nominative frame. Of army-leaders, Skanda. Of lakes, the ocean. A general and a body of water, same sentence.
Sanskrit in this line
viddhi (विद्धि) is the imperative of vid (विद्), "know." The present is vetti (वेत्ति), "he knows," and the perfect second person was vettha (वेत्थ), "you know." The imperative is the bare shape viddhi (विद्धि). Same root as the knowing-words of the first half of the chapter. This is "know," the vid (विद्) of knowledge, in the mood of a command.
Say it back
The command and its object. viddhi mām (विद्धि माम्), bṛhaspatim (बृहस्पतिम्). If viddhi (विद्धि) comes out as "find," stay here. In this line it is "know."