16.20
आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि ।
मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥
āsurīṃ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmani janmani
mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṃ gatim
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) tells Arjuna where that birth leads.
The verse
The deluded, having entered a demonic womb birth after birth and not reaching me, then go, son of Kuntī (कुन्ती), to the lowest course.
नेपालीमा
मोहितहरू आसुरी योनिमा जन्म जन्म पसेर मलाई नपुगी, हे कुन्तीका छोरा, त्यसपछि सबैभन्दा तल्लो गतिमा जान्छन्।
Where it sits
Birth after birth in a demonic womb, and still not reaching him, they go lower than the hurling of 16.19. The portrait of the demonic creation ends here, and the next verse names the gate.
Split: आसुरीम् + योनिम् + आपन्नाः + मूढाः + जन्मनि + जन्मनि + माम् + अप्राप्य + एव + कौन्तेय + ततः + यान्ति + अधमाम् + गतिम्
āsurīm + yonim + āpannāḥ + mūḍhāḥ + janmani + janmani + mām + aprāpya + eva + kaunteya + tataḥ + yānti + adhamām + gatim
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| आसुरीम् | āsurīm | accusative singular feminine | demonic. Agrees with yonim (योनिम्). |
| योनिम् | yonim | accusative singular | a womb. A birth. |
| आपन्नाः | āpannāḥ | nominative plural | having entered. Having fallen into. From ā-pad (आ-पद्). |
| मूढाः | mūḍhāḥ | nominative plural | deluded. From muh (मुह्). |
| जन्मनि | janmani | locative singular of janman (जन्मन्) | in birth. |
| जन्मनि | janmani | locative singular | in birth. Said twice: birth after birth. |
| माम् | mām | accusative singular | me. Object of aprāpya (अप्राप्य). |
| अप्राप्य | aprāpya | gerund of अ-प्र-आप a-pra-āp | not having reached. The a (अ) is the negative. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | indeed. |
| कौन्तेय | kaunteya | vocative | Kaunteya (कौन्तेय). Son of Kuntī (कुन्ती). Arjuna. |
| ततः | tataḥ | indeclinable | from there. Then. |
| यान्ति | yānti | present, 3rd plural of yā (या) | they go. |
| अधमाम् | adhamām | accusative singular feminine | lowest. Agrees with gatim (गतिम्). |
| गतिम् | gatim | accusative singular | course. Destination. |
The phrases
आसुरीम् योनिम् आपन्नाः मूढाः जन्मनि जन्मनि āsurīm yonim āpannāḥ mūḍhāḥ janmani janmani is the birth of 16.19, now from their side. The deluded enter a demonic womb, in birth after birth. The repeated locative is the repetition. Do not say janmani (जन्मनि) once.
माम् अप्राप्य एव कौन्तेय ततः यान्ति अधमाम् गतिम् mām aprāpya eva kaunteya tataḥ yānti adhamām gatim is the further going. Not reaching him, they then go to a lower course. aprāpya (अप्राप्य) keeps the negative. tataḥ (ततः) is "from that," from the demonic birth, on to something lower.
Sanskrit in this line
अप्राप्य + एव aprāpya + eva is recited aprāpyaiva (अप्राप्यैव). अ + ए a + e becomes ai (ऐ). The a (अ) at the front of aprāpya (अप्राप्य) is a different a (अ): it is the negative, and this sandhi does not touch it. The a (अ) inside the ai (ऐ) is the final of the gerund. Lose the front a (अ) and the gerund means "having reached."
Say it back
Cover the English. Say the birth, twice, and the course they go to without reaching him. If aprāpya (अप्राप्य) loses its negative, stay here.