18.1
अर्जुन उवाच
संन्यासस्य महाबाहो
तत्त्वमिच्छामि वेदितुम् ।
त्यागस्य च हृषीकेश
पृथक्केशिनिषूदन ॥
arjuna uvāca
saṃnyāsasya mahābāho tattvam icchāmi veditum
tyāgasya ca hṛṣīkeśa pṛthak keśiniṣūdana
Arjuna (अर्जुन) is speaking, to Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण). uvāca (उवाच) is "he said." It stands outside the meter.
The verse
Arjuna (अर्जुन) said: Mighty-armed, lord of the senses, slayer of Keśi (केशि), I wish to know the truth of renunciation and the truth of relinquishment, each apart from the other.
नेपालीमा
अर्जुनले भने, हे ठूला पाखुरा भएका, इन्द्रियका स्वामी, केशि मार्ने, म संन्यासको तत्त्व र त्यागको तत्त्व एकअर्काबाट छुट्याएर जान्न चाहन्छु।
Where it sits
The last chapter opens on his question, after he has heard both words praised. The answer begins at 18.2 and does not finish by choosing one and throwing the act away.
Split: संन्यासस्य + महा-बाहो + तत्त्वम् + इच्छामि + वेदितुम् + त्यागस्य + च + हृषीक-ईश + पृथक् + केशि-निषूदन
saṃnyāsasya + mahā-bāho + tattvam + icchāmi + veditum + tyāgasya + ca + hṛṣīka-īśa + pṛthak + keśi-niṣūdana
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| संन्यासस्य | saṃnyāsasya | genitive singular | of renunciation. saṃnyāsa (संन्यास) is the laying down. |
| महा-बाहो | mahā-bāho | vocative of mahā-bāhu (महा-बाहु) | mighty-armed. |
| तत्त्वम् | tattvam | accusative singular | the truth of it. What the thing really is. |
| इच्छामि | icchāmi | present, 1st singular of iṣ (इष्) | I wish. |
| वेदितुम् | veditum | infinitive of vid (विद्) | to know. |
| त्यागस्य | tyāgasya | genitive singular | of relinquishment. tyāga (त्याग) is the giving up. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| हृषीक-ईश | hṛṣīka-īśa | vocative | lord of the senses. hṛṣīka (हृषीक) is a sense. īśa (ईश) is lord. |
| पृथक् | pṛthak | indeclinable | apart. Separately. |
| केशि-निषूदन | keśi-niṣūdana | vocative | slayer of Keśi (केशि). niṣūdana (निषूदन) is the one who strikes down. |
The phrases
saṃnyāsasya tattvam (संन्यासस्य तत्त्वम्) is the first thing he wants. The truth of renunciation. tyāgasya ca (त्यागस्य च) puts the second beside it, and pṛthak (पृथक्) keeps them from collapsing into one word.
icchāmi veditum (इच्छामि वेदितुम्) is the wish and its object. "I wish to know." तत्त्वम् इच्छामि tattvam icchāmi is recited tattvam icchāmi (तत्त्वमिच्छामि). The m (म्) takes the i (इ) of the verb in the joined line.
mahā-bāho (महा-बाहो), hṛṣīka-īśa (हृषीक-ईश), and keśi-niṣūdana (केशि-निषूदन) are three vocatives, all of them Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण). pṛthak keśi-niṣūdana (पृथक् केशि-निषूदन) is recited pṛthakkeśiniṣūdana (पृथक्केशिनिषूदन). The k (क्) of pṛthak (पृथक्) meets the k (क्) of keśi (केशि).
Sanskrit in this line
veditum (वेदितुम्) is the infinitive. The ending --tum (तुम्) names the act without a person: "to know." icchāmi (इच्छामि) is the finite verb, and the infinitive is what he wishes. vid (विद्) "know" takes --itum (इतुम्) after the strengthening, so the form is veditum (वेदितुम्), not a present tense. The wish is his. The knowing has not happened yet.
Say it back
Cover this page below the Devanagari. Ask for the two, and keep pṛthak (पृथक्). If saṃnyāsa (संन्यास) and tyāga (त्याग) come out as one word, stay here.