18.15
शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्
कर्म प्रारभते नरः ।
न्याय्यं वा विपरीतं वा
पञ्चैते तस्य हेतवः ॥
śarīravāṅmanobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ
nyāyyaṃ vā viparītaṃ vā pañcaite tasya hetavaḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन). The five of 18.14 are now called causes.
The verse
Whatever action a man undertakes with body, speech, and mind, whether rightful or the reverse, these five are its causes.
नेपालीमा
मानिसले शरीर, वाणी र मनले जे कर्म थाल्छ, न्यायसङ्गत होस् वा उल्टो, यी पाँच नै त्यसका कारण हुन्।
Where it sits
18.14 listed the five, and this verse calls them the causes of the act a man begins, the right one and the wrong one. 18.16 is the man who will not have that, and who sees only himself as the doer.
Split: शरीर-वाङ्-मनोभिः + यत् + कर्म + प्रारभते + नरः + न्याय्यम् + वा + विपरीतम् + वा + पञ्च + एते + तस्य + हेतवः
śarīra-vāṅ-manobhiḥ + yat + karma + prārabhate + naraḥ + nyāyyam + vā + viparītam + vā + pañca + ete + tasya + hetavaḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| शरीर-वाङ्-मनोभिः | śarīra-vāṅ-manobhiḥ | instrumental plural | by body, speech, and mind. |
| यत् | yat | accusative singular neuter | which. Whatever. |
| कर्म | karma | accusative singular | action. |
| प्रारभते | prārabhate | present, 3rd singular, middle of pra-ā-rabh (प्र-आ-रभ्) | he undertakes. He begins. |
| नरः | naraḥ | nominative singular | a man. |
| न्याय्यम् | nyāyyam | accusative singular neuter | rightful. |
| वा | vā | indeclinable | or. |
| विपरीतम् | viparītam | accusative singular neuter | the reverse. The wrong one. |
| वा | vā | indeclinable | or. |
| पञ्च | pañca | indeclinable | five. |
| एते | ete | nominative plural masculine | these. |
| तस्य | tasya | genitive singular | of that. Of that action. |
| हेतवः | hetavaḥ | nominative plural of hetu (हेतु) | the causes. |
The phrases
śarīra-vāṅ-manobhiḥ yat karma prārabhate naraḥ (शरीर-वाङ्-मनोभिः यत् कर्म प्रारभते नरः) is any action a man begins with body, speech, and mind. The instrumental is the means. śarīra-vāṅ-manobhiḥ yat (शरीर-वाङ्-मनोभिः यत्) is recited śarīravāṅmanobhir yat (शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्). iḥ (इः) before y (य्) becomes ir (इर्).
nyāyyam vā viparītam vā (न्याय्यम् वा विपरीतम् वा) covers both kinds. Right, or the reverse. The five do not apply only to the good act.
pañca ete tasya hetavaḥ (पञ्च एते तस्य हेतवः) names them causes of that action. pañca ete (पञ्च एते) is pañcaite (पञ्चैते). The five are the five of 18.14.
Sanskrit in this line
śarīra-vāṅ-manobhiḥ (शरीर-वाङ्-मनोभिः) is one word, instrumental plural of a dvandva. Body, speech, and mind are the three members. vāc (वाच्) before m (म्) is recited vāṅ (वाङ्), the class nasal. manas (मनस्) is an --as (अस्) stem, and its instrumental plural is manobhiḥ (मनोभिः): the --as (अस्) becomes --o (ओ) before --bhiḥ (भिः). The ending --bhiḥ (भिः) is plural. One instrument would have been --ā (आ). He uses all three.
Say it back
Cover the English. Say the means and the two kinds of act. If the five causes cover only the rightful act, stay here.