18.11
न हि देहभृता शक्यं
त्यक्तुं कर्माण्यशेषतः ।
यस्तु कर्मफलत्यागी
स त्यागीत्यभिधीयते ॥
na hi dehabhṛtā śakyaṃ tyaktuṃ karmāṇy aśeṣataḥ
yas tu karmaphalatyāgī sa tyāgīty abhidhīyate
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन). This is the limit on every kind of dropping.
The verse
A body-bearer cannot abandon actions entirely, and the one who relinquishes the fruit of action is the one who is called a relinquisher.
नेपालीमा
शरीर बोक्नेले कर्मलाई पूरै त्याग्न सक्दैन, र कर्मको फल त्याग्नेलाई नै त्यागी भनिन्छ।
Where it sits
18.9 praised the dropping of the fruit while the act is done, and this verse says why the other dropping fails: while there is a body, the actions are not all laid down. The name tyāgī (त्यागी) belongs to the giver-up of the fruit, and 18.12 says what still comes to the man who keeps it.
Split: न + हि + देह-भृता + शक्यम् + त्यक्तुम् + कर्माणि + अशेषतः + यः + तु + कर्म-फल-त्यागी + सः + त्यागी + इति + अभिधीयते
na + hi + deha-bhṛtā + śakyam + tyaktum + karmāṇi + aśeṣataḥ + yaḥ + tu + karma-phala-tyāgī + saḥ + tyāgī + iti + abhidhīyate
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | for. Indeed. |
| देह-भृता | deha-bhṛtā | instrumental singular of deha-bhṛt (देह-भृत्) | by a body-bearer. One who carries a body. |
| शक्यम् | śakyam | nominative singular neuter | possible. |
| त्यक्तुम् | tyaktum | infinitive of tyaj (त्यज्) | to abandon. |
| कर्माणि | karmāṇi | accusative plural | actions. |
| अशेषतः | aśeṣataḥ | indeclinable | without remainder. Entirely. śeṣa (शेष) is what is left. |
| यः | yaḥ | nominative singular | who. |
| तु | tu | indeclinable | but. |
| कर्म-फल-त्यागी | karma-phala-tyāgī | nominative singular | the relinquisher of the fruit of action. |
| सः | saḥ | nominative singular | he. |
| त्यागी | tyāgī | nominative singular | a relinquisher. |
| इति | iti | indeclinable | thus. As. |
| अभिधीयते | abhidhīyate | present, 3rd singular, passive of abhi-dhā (अभि-धा) | is called. |
The phrases
na hi deha-bhṛtā śakyam (न हि देह-भृता शक्यम्) is the refusal. It is not possible for a body-bearer. tyaktuṃ karmāṇi aśeṣataḥ (त्यक्तुं कर्माणि अशेषतः) is what is not possible: to abandon actions entirely. karmāṇi aśeṣataḥ (कर्माणि अशेषतः) is recited karmāṇy aśeṣataḥ (कर्माण्यशेषतः).
yaḥ tu karma-phala-tyāgī (यः तु कर्म-फल-त्यागी) is the man who qualifies. Who gives up the fruit. yaḥ tu (यः तु) is yas tu (यस्तु). saḥ tyāgī iti abhidhīyate (सः त्यागी इति अभिधीयते) is the name he receives. He is called a relinquisher. saḥ tyāgī (सः त्यागी) is sa tyāgī (स त्यागी), and tyāgī iti abhidhīyate (त्यागी इति अभिधीयते) is tyāgīty abhidhīyate (त्यागीत्यभिधीयते). ई + इ ī + i becomes ī (ई), then इ + अ i + a becomes ya (य).
Sanskrit in this line
deha-bhṛtā (देह-भृता) is instrumental singular. The stem deha-bhṛt (देह-भृत्) ends in a consonant, t (त्). The instrumental singular of that stem is --ā (आ): deha-bhṛtā (देह-भृता). śakyam (शक्यम्) is impersonal, "it is possible," and the instrumental answers "by whom." It is not possible by a body-bearer. Do not make deha-bhṛtā (देह-भृता) the nominative subject. The subject of the possibility is the abandoning, tyaktum (त्यक्तुम्).
Say it back
Cover the English. Say who cannot abandon actions entirely, and who is called the relinquisher. If deha-bhṛtā (देह-भृता) comes out as the man who drops every act, stay here.