17.12
अभिसन्धाय तु फलं दम्भार्थमपि चैव यत् ।
इज्यते भरतश्रेष्ठ तं यज्ञं विद्धि राजसम् ॥
abhisandhāya tu phalaṃ dambhārtham api caiva yat
ijyate bharataśreṣṭha taṃ yajñaṃ viddhi rājasam
śrībhagavān (श्रीभगवान्) is still speaking. This is the sacrifice of the driving strand.
The verse
What is offered with the fruit aimed at, and for show, know that sacrifice as the one of रजस्, best of the Bharatas.
नेपालीमा
हे भरतहरूमा श्रेष्ठ, फललाई लक्ष्य राखेर र देखाउनका लागि चढाइएको यज्ञलाई रजस्को भनी बुझ।
Where it sits
The clear sacrifice was "simply to be offered." This one has a fruit in view and a spectator in view. The dark sacrifice, next, will fail the rite itself: no rule, no food given, no mantra (मन्त्र), no gift to the priest, no faith.
Split: अभिसन्धाय + तु + फलम् + दम्भ-अर्थम् + अपि + च + एव + यत् + इज्यते + भरत-श्रेष्ठ + तम् + यज्ञम् + विद्धि + राजसम्
abhisandhāya + tu + phalam + dambha-artham + api + ca + eva + yat + ijyate + bharata-śreṣṭha + tam + yajñam + viddhi + rājasam
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अभिसन्धाय | abhisandhāya | gerund | having aimed at. abhi (अभि) "toward," with sam-dhā (सम्-धा). |
| तु | tu | indeclinable | but. |
| फलम् | phalam | accusative singular | the fruit. |
| दम्भ-अर्थम् | dambha-artham | accusative singular | for the sake of show. artham (अर्थम्) at the end of a compound is "for the sake of." |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | also. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | indeed. |
| यत् | yat | nominative singular neuter | which. The offering, taken as an act. |
| इज्यते | ijyate | present passive, 3rd singular | is offered. |
| भरत-श्रेष्ठ | bharata-śreṣṭha | vocative | best of the Bharatas. |
| तम् | tam | accusative singular | that. |
| यज्ञम् | yajñam | accusative singular | sacrifice. |
| विद्धि | viddhi | imperative, 2nd singular | know. |
| राजसम् | rājasam | accusative singular | of the driving strand. Agrees with yajñam (यज्ञम्). |
The phrases
abhisandhāya tu phalam (अभिसन्धाय तु फलम्) is the aim 17.11 refused. Having the fruit in view. tu (तु) turns from the clear sacrifice to this one.
दम्भार्थम् अपि च एव यत् इज्यते dambhārtham api ca eva yat ijyate adds show. What is offered for the sake of ostentation as well. The fruit and the show are both in the line. Either mark is enough to leave the clear sacrifice, and the verse gives both.
tam yajñam viddhi rājasam (तम् यज्ञम् विद्धि राजसम्) is the command, with bharataśreṣṭha (भरतश्रेष्ठ) set beside it. Know that sacrifice as the driving one. All three, tam (तम्), yajñam (यज्ञम्), rājasam (राजसम्), are accusative.
Sanskrit in this line
दम्भ + अर्थम् dambha + artham is recited dambhārtham (दम्भार्थम्). अ + अ a + a becomes ā (आ). The ā (आ) is the meeting, so artha (अर्थ) "for the sake of" is easy to miss. The show is the sake. The compound is not a second verb.
Say it back
Fruit, and show. If dambhārtham (दम्भार्थम्) drops out and only a quiet fruit remains, you have not said this verse. Stay here.