17.6
कर्षयन्तः शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतसः ।
मां चैवान्तःशरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान् ॥
karṣayantaḥ śarīrasthaṃ bhūtagrāmam acetasaḥ
māṃ caivāntaḥśarīrasthaṃ tān viddhy āsuraniścayān
śrībhagavān (श्रीभगवान्) is still speaking. He finishes the sentence of 17.5.
The verse
Wearing down the host of elements that stand in the body, and me who stands within the body, mindless as they are — know them as people whose resolve is demonic.
नेपालीमा
शरीरमा रहेका भूतहरूको समूहलाई र शरीरभित्र रहेको मलाई खियाउने, अचेत ती मानिसहरूलाई आसुरी निश्चय भएका भनी बुझ।
Where it sits
17.5 left the people in the middle of their fierce austerity. This verse names them. They are not a new strand beside the three. The resolve is demonic, and he counts himself among what they tear.
Split: कर्षयन्तः + शरीर-स्थम् + भूत-ग्रामम् + अचेतसः + माम् + च + एव + अन्तः-शरीर-स्थम् + तान् + विद्धि + आसुर-निश्चयान्
karṣayantaḥ + śarīra-stham + bhūta-grāmam + acetasaḥ + mām + ca + eva + antaḥ-śarīra-stham + tān + viddhi + āsura-niścayān
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| कर्षयन्तः | karṣayantaḥ | nominative plural, present participle | wearing down, dragging. Causative of kṛṣ (कृष्). |
| शरीर-स्थम् | śarīra-stham | accusative singular neuter | standing in the body. Agrees with bhūtagrāmam (भूतग्रामम्). |
| भूत-ग्रामम् | bhūta-grāmam | accusative singular | the host of elements. The cluster that makes the body. |
| अचेतसः | acetasaḥ | nominative plural | without mind. a-cetas (अ-चेतस्). Agrees with the people. |
| माम् | mām | accusative singular | me. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | indeed. |
| अन्तः-शरीर-स्थम् | antaḥ-śarīra-stham | accusative singular masculine | standing within the body. Agrees with mām (माम्). |
| तान् | tān | accusative plural | them. The people of 17.5. |
| विद्धि | viddhi | imperative, 2nd singular | know. From vid (विद्). |
| आसुर-निश्चयान् | āsura-niścayān | accusative plural | people whose resolve is demonic. āsura (आसुर) "demonic," niścaya (निश्चय) "resolve." |
The phrases
कर्षयन्तः शरीरस्थम् भूतग्रामम् अचेतसः karṣayantaḥ śarīrastham bhūtagrāmam acetasaḥ is what the heating does. Mindless, they wear down the host of elements that stand in the body. bhūtagrāma (भूतग्राम) here is that bodily host. It is not the bhūtagaṇa (भूतगण) those of तमस् worship in 17.4.
mām ca eva antaḥśarīrastham (माम् च एव अन्तःशरीरस्थम्) is the second object of the wearing-down. And me, standing inside the body. The austerity that leaves the ordinance reaches him.
tān viddhi āsuraniścayān (तान् विद्धि आसुरनिश्चयान्) is the command, the same viddhi (विद्धि) he uses when he wants a thing classed. Know them as people of demonic resolve.
Sanskrit in this line
विद्धि + आसुरनिश्चयान् viddhi + āsuraniścayān is recited viddhy āsuraniścayān (विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान्). इ + आ i + ā becomes yā (या). The y (य्) belongs to viddhi (विद्धि). The ā (आ) that shows is the ā (आ) of āsura (आसुर). Split them and the imperative is still viddhi (विद्धि).
Say it back
The host in the body, then mām (माम्), then the name he gives them. If the line ends on the elements and mām (माम्) was not worn down with them, stay here.