14.18
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था
मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।
जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था
अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥
ūrdhvaṃ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ
jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
Those who stand in sattva (सत्त्व) go upward, those of rajas (रजस्) stay in the middle, and those of tamas (तमस्), standing in the conduct of the lowest strand, go downward.
नेपालीमा
सत्त्वमा उभिनेहरू माथि जान्छन्, रजस्का मानिस बीचमै रहन्छन्, र तमस्का मानिस, सबैभन्दा तल्लो गुणको आचरणमा उभिएर, तल जान्छन्।
Where it sits
Birth and fruit have been sorted, and this verse sorts direction: up, middle, and down, one company for each strand.
Split: ऊर्ध्वम् + गच्छन्ति + सत्त्व-स्थाः + मध्ये + तिष्ठन्ति + राजसाः + जघन्य-गुण-वृत्ति-स्थाः + अधः + गच्छन्ति + तामसाः
ūrdhvam + gacchanti + sattva-sthāḥ + madhye + tiṣṭhanti + rājasāḥ + jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthāḥ + adhaḥ + gacchanti + tāmasāḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| ऊर्ध्वम् | ūrdhvam | accusative neuter, used as an adverb | upward. |
| गच्छन्ति | gacchanti | present, 3rd plural | they go. |
| सत्त्व-स्थाः | sattva-sthāḥ | nominative plural | those who stand in sattva (सत्त्व). stha (स्थ) is "standing." |
| मध्ये | madhye | locative singular | in the middle. |
| तिष्ठन्ति | tiṣṭhanti | present, 3rd plural | they stay. sthā (स्था). |
| राजसाः | rājasāḥ | nominative plural | those of rajas (रजस्). |
| जघन्य-गुण-वृत्ति-स्थाः | jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthāḥ | nominative plural | those who stand in the conduct of the lowest strand. jaghanya (जघन्य) is low. vṛtti (वृत्ति) is conduct. |
| अधः | adhaḥ | indeclinable | downward. |
| गच्छन्ति | gacchanti | present, 3rd plural | they go. |
| तामसाः | tāmasāḥ | nominative plural | those of tamas (तमस्). |
The phrases
ūrdhvaṃ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्व-स्थाः) is the high road. Those who stand in sattva (सत्त्व) go upward. madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ (मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः) is the middle. Those of rajas (रजस्) stay there. They do not get the verb "go."
jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthāḥ adhaḥ gacchanti tāmasāḥ (जघन्य-गुण-वृत्ति-स्थाः अधः गच्छन्ति तामसाः) is the low road. Those of tamas (तमस्), standing in the conduct of the lowest strand, go downward. The compound and tāmasāḥ (तामसाः) are the same people. Both are nominative plural.
Sanskrit in this line
sattva-sthāḥ (सत्त्व-स्थाः) and jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthāḥ (जघन्य-गुण-वृत्ति-स्थाः) both end in --stha (स्थ), "standing in," and both are nominative plural --āḥ (आः). In the recitation the visarga goes. Before the voiced m (म्) of madhye (मध्ये), āḥ (आः) leaves ā (आ): sattvasthā (सत्त्वस्था). Before the vowel of adhaḥ (अधः), āḥ (आः) likewise leaves ā (आ): jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā (जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था). Restore the visarga when you split. The words are plural. They name the people.
Say it back
Cover the English. Give the three directions with the three companies. If rājasāḥ (राजसाः) are sent upward, stay here.