16.17
आत्मसम्भाविताः स्तब्धा धनमानमदान्विताः ।
यजन्ते नामयज्ञैस्ते दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम् ॥
ātmasambhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhanamānamadānvitāḥ
yajante nāmayajñais te dambhenāvidhipūrvakam
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) says what their sacrifice is.
The verse
Self-honored, stiff, filled with the intoxication of wealth and pride, they sacrifice with sacrifices that are only a name, in hypocrisy, not according to rule.
नेपालीमा
आफैंले आफूलाई मान दिएका, नझुक्ने, धन र घमण्डको मदले भरिएका, तिनीहरू नाम मात्रका यज्ञले, ढोंगमा, नियमअनुसार होइन, यज्ञ गर्छन्।
Where it sits
16.15 had them saying they would sacrifice, and this verse is what that sacrifice is: the name is there, and the ordinance is absent. Hypocrisy, the first word of 16.4, is the means.
Split: आत्म-सम्भाविताः + स्तब्धाः + धन-मान-मद-अन्विताः + यजन्ते + नाम-यज्ञैः + ते + दम्भेन + अविधि-पूर्वकम्
ātma-sambhāvitāḥ + stabdhāḥ + dhana-māna-mada-anvitāḥ + yajante + nāma-yajñaiḥ + te + dambhena + avidhi-pūrvakam
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| आत्म-सम्भाविताः | ātma-sambhāvitāḥ | nominative plural | self-honored. Those who esteem themselves. sambhāvita (सम्भावित) is "held in honor." |
| स्तब्धाः | stabdhāḥ | nominative plural | stiff. Rigid with pride. From stambh (स्तम्भ्). |
| धन-मान-मद-अन्विताः | dhana-māna-mada-anvitāḥ | nominative plural | filled with the intoxication of wealth and pride. dhana (धन) wealth, māna (मान) pride, mada (मद) intoxication. |
| यजन्ते | yajante | present, 3rd plural middle of yaj (यज्) | they sacrifice. |
| नाम-यज्ञैः | nāma-yajñaiḥ | instrumental plural | with sacrifices that are sacrifices in name. nāma (नाम) "name." |
| ते | te | nominative plural | they. |
| दम्भेन | dambhena | instrumental singular | by hypocrisy. With ostentation. |
| अविधि-पूर्वकम् | avidhi-pūrvakam | adverbial accusative neuter | not according to rule. Not preceded by the ordinance. vidhi (विधि) is the rule. |
The phrases
ātma-sambhāvitāḥ stabdhāḥ dhana-māna-mada-anvitāḥ (आत्म-सम्भाविताः स्तब्धाः धन-मान-मद-अन्विताः) is who does the sacrificing. Self-honored, stiff, full of the intoxication of wealth and pride. Three nominatives before the verb.
yajante nāma-yajñaiḥ te dambhena avidhi-pūrvakam (यजन्ते नाम-यज्ञैः ते दम्भेन अविधि-पूर्वकम्) is the sacrifice. They do sacrifice. The instrument is a sacrifice that is one only in name, and the manner is hypocrisy, without the rule going first. dambha (दम्भ) is back, now in the instrumental.
Sanskrit in this line
दम्भेन + अविधि-पूर्वकम् dambhena + avidhi-pūrvakam is recited dambhenāvidhipūrvakam (दम्भेनाविधिपूर्वकम्). अ + अ a + a becomes ā (आ). The a (अ) of avidhi (अविधि) is inside that long ā (आ). Restore it. The word is the negation of vidhi (विधि). If the negation is lost, the sacrifice has been made lawful.
Say it back
Cover the English. Say what kind of sacrifice it is, and whether the rule precedes it. If nāma (नाम) is dropped, they are simply sacrificing.