18.23
नियतं सङ्गरहितम्
अरागद्वेषतः कृतम् ।
अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म
यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते ॥
niyataṃ saṅgarahitam arāgadveṣataḥ kṛtam
aphalaprepsunā karma yat tat sāttvikam ucyate
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन). The act is the second item of 18.19. This is its sāttvika (सात्त्विक) kind.
The verse
The appointed action, free of attachment, done not from attraction or aversion, by one who does not desire the fruit: that is called sāttvika (सात्त्विक).
नेपालीमा
फल नचाहनेले, आसक्तिमुक्त भएर, राग वा द्वेषबाट नगरी गरेको नियत कर्मलाई सात्त्विक भनिन्छ।
Where it sits
Knowledge is finished, and the act begins where 18.9 left tyāga (त्याग): appointed, without attachment, without desire for the fruit. 18.24 is the act done to get something, and 18.25 is the act begun from delusion.
Split: नियतम् + सङ्ग-रहितम् + अ-राग-द्वेषतः + कृतम् + अफल-प्रेप्सुना + कर्म + यत् + तत् + सात्त्विकम् + उच्यते
niyatam + saṅga-rahitam + a-rāga-dveṣataḥ + kṛtam + aphala-prepsunā + karma + yat + tat + sāttvikam + ucyate
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| नियतम् | niyatam | nominative singular neuter | appointed. |
| सङ्ग-रहितम् | saṅga-rahitam | nominative singular neuter | devoid of attachment. |
| अ-राग-द्वेषतः | a-rāga-dveṣataḥ | indeclinable | not from attraction or aversion. The a- (अ-) covers both rāga (राग) and dveṣa (द्वेष). |
| कृतम् | kṛtam | nominative singular neuter | done. |
| अफल-प्रेप्सुना | aphala-prepsunā | instrumental singular of aphala-prepsu (अफल-प्रेप्सु) | by one who does not desire to obtain the fruit. prepsu (प्रेप्सु) is the desiderative adjective of pra-āp (प्र-आप्). |
| कर्म | karma | nominative singular | action. |
| यत् | yat | nominative singular neuter | which. |
| तत् | tat | nominative singular neuter | that. |
| सात्त्विकम् | sāttvikam | nominative singular neuter | sāttvika (सात्त्विक). |
| उच्यते | ucyate | present, 3rd singular, passive of vac (वच्) | is called. |
The phrases
niyatam saṅga-rahitam (नियतम् सङ्ग-रहितम्) is the action: appointed, and without attachment. a-rāga-dveṣataḥ kṛtam (अ-राग-द्वेषतः कृतम्) is how it is done, not from liking and not from hate. The quarter break keeps saṅga-rahitam (सङ्ग-रहितम्) and a-rāga-dveṣataḥ (अ-राग-द्वेषतः) from joining. The source half-line writes them saṅgarahitam arāgadveṣataḥ (सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः).
aphala-prepsunā karma (अफल-प्रेप्सुना कर्म) names the person by whom. By one who is not out to get the fruit. यत् तत् सात्त्विकम् उच्यते yat tat sāttvikam ucyate is the naming. Which action that is, that is called sāttvika (सात्त्विक). यत् तत् सात्त्विकम् उच्यते yat tat sāttvikam ucyate is yat tat sāttvikam ucyate (यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते).
Sanskrit in this line
aphala-prepsunā (अफल-प्रेप्सुना) is instrumental, the person by whom the action is done. karma (कर्म) is nominative, the subject of ucyate (उच्यते) and the thing which is kṛtam (कृतम्). The instrumental is not a second subject. prepsu (प्रेप्सु) is a desiderative adjective, "desiring to obtain," from pra-āp (प्र-आप्). a-phala (अ-फल) says the fruit is what he does not desire. The same --prepsu (प्रेप्सु) returns in 18.24 with kāma (काम) in front of it, and the kind changes.
Say it back
Cover the English. Say who does the act, and that the fruit is not what he wants. If aphala-prepsunā (अफल-प्रेप्सुना) comes out as "hoping for the fruit," stay here.