17.4
यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः ।
प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जनाः ॥
yajante sāttvikā devān yakṣarakṣāṃsi rājasāḥ
pretān bhūtagaṇāṃś cānye yajante tāmasā janāḥ
śrībhagavān (श्रीभगवान्) is still speaking. The faith now has objects.
The verse
People of सत्त्व worship the gods, people of रजस् worship यक्ष and राक्षस beings, and other people, those of तमस्, worship the departed and the hosts of beings.
नेपालीमा
सत्त्वका मानिस देवताको पूजा गर्छन्, रजस्का मानिस यक्ष र राक्षसको पूजा गर्छन्, र अरू मानिस, तमस्का, प्रेत र भूतहरूको हुलको पूजा गर्छन्।
Where it sits
17.3 said the person is his faith. This verse lets you see the faith by what it bows to. Three groups, three objects. The gods are with the clear. The dark end of the list is the departed and the hosts.
Split: यजन्ते + सात्त्विकाः + देवान् + यक्ष-रक्षांसि + राजसाः + प्रेतान् + भूत-गणान् + च + अन्ये + यजन्ते + तामसाः + जनाः
yajante + sāttvikāḥ + devān + yakṣa-rakṣāṃsi + rājasāḥ + pretān + bhūta-gaṇān + ca + anye + yajante + tāmasāḥ + janāḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| यजन्ते | yajante | present, 3rd plural, middle | they worship. |
| सात्त्विकाः | sāttvikāḥ | nominative plural | people of the clear strand. |
| देवान् | devān | accusative plural | the gods. |
| यक्ष-रक्षांसि | yakṣa-rakṣāṃsi | accusative plural neuter | yakṣa (यक्ष) and rākṣasa (राक्षस) beings. rakṣāṃsi (रक्षांसि) is the neuter plural, and it sets the ending of the pair. |
| राजसाः | rājasāḥ | nominative plural | people of the driving strand. |
| प्रेतान् | pretān | accusative plural | the departed. preta (प्रेत), one who has gone. |
| भूत-गणान् | bhūta-gaṇān | accusative plural | hosts of bhūta (भूत) beings. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| अन्ये | anye | nominative plural | others. The people who are not the first two. |
| यजन्ते | yajante | present, 3rd plural, middle | they worship. |
| तामसाः | tāmasāḥ | nominative plural | of the dark strand. Agrees with janāḥ (जनाः). |
| जनाः | janāḥ | nominative plural | people. |
The phrases
yajante sāttvikāḥ devān (यजन्ते सात्त्विकाः देवान्) is the clear strand. They worship the gods. The verb is first, the people second, the object third.
yakṣarakṣāṃsi rājasāḥ (यक्षरक्षांसि राजसाः) borrows that same verb. People of the driving strand worship yakṣa (यक्ष) and rākṣasa (राक्षस) beings. The subject is late, after the object.
pretān bhūtagaṇān ca anye yajante tāmasāḥ janāḥ (प्रेतान् भूतगणान् च अन्ये यजन्ते तामसाः जनाः) is the third. Other people, and those people are the dark ones, worship the departed and the hosts of beings. anye (अन्ये) and tāmasāḥ janāḥ (तामसाः जनाः) are the same subject.
Sanskrit in this line
भूतगणान् + च + अन्ये bhūtagaṇān + ca + anye is recited bhūtagaṇāṃś cānye (भूतगणांश्चान्ये). n (न्) before c (च्) becomes anusvara, and ś (श्) is heard between them: ṃś (ंश्). Then च + अ ca + a becomes cā (चा), because अ + अ a + a becomes ā (आ). The ś (श्) belongs to the meeting of n (न्) and c (च्).
Say it back
Three worshippers, three objects, in order. If the gods are given to tāmasāḥ (तामसाः), or the departed to sāttvikāḥ (सात्त्विकाः), stay here.