14.16
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः
सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् ।
रजसस्तु फलं दुःखम्
अज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam
rajasas tu phalaṃ duḥkham ajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
They say the fruit of action well done is of sattva (सत्त्व) and stainless; but the fruit of rajas (रजस्) is pain, and the fruit of tamas (तमस्) is ignorance.
नेपालीमा
राम्ररी गरिएको कर्मको फल सत्त्वको र दागरहित हुन्छ भन्छन्, तर रजस्को फल दुःख हो, र तमस्को फल अज्ञान हो।
Where it sits
14.14 and 14.15 were the next birth, and this verse sorts the results as fruit: a stainless fruit for action well done, pain for rajas (रजस्), ignorance for tamas (तमस्).
Split: कर्मणः + सुकृतस्य + आहुः + सात्त्विकम् + निर्मलम् + फलम् + रजसः + तु + फलम् + दुःखम् + अज्ञानम् + तमसः + फलम्
karmaṇaḥ + sukṛtasya + āhuḥ + sāttvikam + nirmalam + phalam + rajasaḥ + tu + phalam + duḥkham + ajñānam + tamasaḥ + phalam
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| कर्मणः | karmaṇaḥ | genitive singular | of action. |
| सुकृतस्य | sukṛtasya | genitive singular | of what is well done. Agrees with karmaṇaḥ (कर्मणः). |
| आहुः | āhuḥ | perfect, 3rd plural | they say. No one is named as the sayer. |
| सात्त्विकम् | sāttvikam | accusative neuter | of the nature of sattva (सत्त्व). Agrees with phalam (फलम्). |
| निर्मलम् | nirmalam | accusative neuter | stainless. Agrees with phalam (फलम्). |
| फलम् | phalam | accusative neuter | fruit. |
| रजसः | rajasaḥ | genitive singular | of rajas (रजस्). |
| तु | tu | indeclinable | but. |
| फलम् | phalam | nominative neuter | fruit. |
| दुःखम् | duḥkham | nominative neuter | pain. Agrees with the fruit of rajas (रजस्). |
| अज्ञानम् | ajñānam | nominative neuter | ignorance. The fruit of tamas (तमस्). |
| तमसः | tamasaḥ | genitive singular | of tamas (तमस्). |
| फलम् | phalam | nominative neuter | fruit. |
The phrases
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasya āhuḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam (कर्मणः सुकृतस्य आहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम्) is what they say of action that is well done. Its fruit is of sattva (सत्त्व), and it is stainless. The two genitives agree with each other. This fruit is not "of action" in general. It is of action well done.
rajasaḥ tu phalaṃ duḥkham (रजसः तु फलं दुःखम्) is the next fruit, and the genitive has changed. Of rajas (रजस्), the fruit is pain. ajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam (अज्ञानं तमसः फलम्) is the third. Of tamas (तमस्), the fruit is ignorance.
Sanskrit in this line
Three genitives, and they are not the same kind of "of." karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasya (कर्मणः सुकृतस्य) agree: "of action that is well done." One noun, one adjective. rajasaḥ (रजसः) and tamasaḥ (तमसः) do not describe an action. Each is the strand whose fruit is being named. The fruit of well-done action, the fruit of rajas (रजस्), the fruit of tamas (तमस्).
Say it back
Cover the English. Give the three fruits. If duḥkham (दुःखम्) is said of the action well done, stay here.