11.48
न वेदयज्ञाध्ययनैर्न दानैर्-
न च क्रियाभिर्न तपोभिरुग्रैः ।
एवंरूपः शक्य अहं नृलोके
द्रष्टुं त्वदन्येन कुरुप्रवीर ॥
na vedayajñādhyayanair na dānair-
na ca kriyābhir na tapobhir ugraiḥ
evaṃrūpaḥ śakya ahaṃ nṛloke
draṣṭuṃ tvadanyena kurupravīra
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन). Meter: triṣṭubh (त्रिष्टुभ्). Four quarters, eleven syllables each, forty-four in the verse.
The verse
Not by study of the Veda and sacrifice, not by gifts, not by rites, and not by fierce austerities can I be seen in this form, in the world of men, by anyone other than you, hero of the Kurus (कुरु).
नेपालीमा
हे कुरुका वीर, मानिसको लोकमा तिमीबाहेक अरू कसैले वेद र यज्ञको अध्ययनले, दानले, क्रियाले र कठोर तपले मलाई यो रूपमा देख्न सक्दैन।
Where it sits
The vision was not a reward earned by the ordinary excellences. It was shown because he was pleased, 11.47. The means that do work are not named until 11.54, and they are not these.
Split: न + वेद-यज्ञ-अध्ययनैः + न + दानैः + न + च + क्रियाभिः + न + तपोभिः + उग्रैः + एवम्-रूपः + शक्यः + अहम् + नृ-लोके + द्रष्टुम् + त्वत्-अन्येन + कुरु-प्रवीर
na + veda-yajña-adhyayanaiḥ + na + dānaiḥ + na + ca + kriyābhiḥ + na + tapobhiḥ + ugraiḥ + evam-rūpaḥ + śakyaḥ + aham + nṛ-loke + draṣṭum + tvat-anyena + kuru-pravīra
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| वेद-यज्ञ-अध्ययनैः | veda-yajña-adhyayanaiḥ | instrumental plural | by study of the Veda and of sacrifice. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| दानैः | dānaiḥ | instrumental plural | by gifts. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| क्रियाभिः | kriyābhiḥ | instrumental plural | by rites. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| तपोभिः | tapobhiḥ | instrumental plural | by austerities. |
| उग्रैः | ugraiḥ | instrumental plural | fierce. Agrees with tapobhiḥ (तपोभिः). |
| एवम्-रूपः | evam-rūpaḥ | nominative | of such a form. In this form. |
| शक्यः | śakyaḥ | nominative | able to be. Possible. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| नृ-लोके | nṛ-loke | locative | in the world of men. |
| द्रष्टुम् | draṣṭum | infinitive | to see. |
| त्वत्-अन्येन | tvat-anyena | instrumental | by another than you. |
| कुरु-प्रवीर | kuru-pravīra | vocative | hero of the Kurus (कुरु). |
The phrases
na veda-yajña-adhyayanaiḥ na dānaiḥ na ca kriyābhiḥ na tapobhiḥ ugraiḥ (न वेद-यज्ञ-अध्ययनैः न दानैः न च क्रियाभिः न तपोभिः उग्रैः) lists the means that do not reach. Not by study of Veda and sacrifice, not by gifts, not by rites, not by fierce austerities. Four na (न).
एवम्-रूपः शक्यः अहम् नृ-लोके द्रष्टुम् त्वत्-अन्येन evam-rūpaḥ śakyaḥ aham nṛ-loke draṣṭum tvat-anyena is the denial. I am not able to be seen in this form, in the world of men, by anyone other than you.
Sanskrit in this line
दानैः + न dānaiḥ + na is split across the quarter as दानैर्- / न. aiḥ (ऐः) before a voiced consonant becomes air (ऐर्). The hyphen keeps the r (र्) on the first line. शक्यः + अहम् śakyaḥ + aham is printed śakya aham (शक्य अहम्), both vowels heard. Joining them as śakyo 'ham (शक्योऽहम्) would drop a syllable from the quarter of eleven. Recite the gap.
Say it back
The four means that fail. If tapas (तपस्) is offered as the way he saw, the na (न) in front of it was dropped.