18.24
यत्तु कामेप्सुना कर्म
साहंकारेण वा पुनः ।
क्रियते बहुलायासं
तद्राजसमुदाहृतम् ॥
yat tu kāmepsunā karma sāhaṃkāreṇa vā punaḥ
kriyate bahulāyāsaṃ tad rājasam udāhṛtam
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन). This is the act of rajas (रजस्).
The verse
But the action which is done by one who desires what he wants, or with the "I," and which is much toil: that is declared rājasa (राजस).
नेपालीमा
तर जुन कर्म चाहेको कुरा चाहनेले वा म भन्ने भावले गर्छ, र जुन धेरै परिश्रमको हुन्छ, त्यो राजस भनिन्छ।
Where it sits
18.23 was the appointed act without the fruit, and this is the act done to obtain what one wants, or done with the "I," at the cost of much toil. 18.25 is the act that does not look at consequence, loss, or harm.
Split: यत् + तु + काम-ईप्सुना + कर्म + स-अहंकारेण + वा + पुनः + क्रियते + बहुल-आयासम् + तत् + राजसम् + उदाहृतम्
yat + tu + kāma-īpsunā + karma + sa-ahaṃkāreṇa + vā + punaḥ + kriyate + bahula-āyāsam + tat + rājasam + udāhṛtam
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| यत् | yat | nominative singular neuter | which. |
| तु | tu | indeclinable | but. |
| काम-ईप्सुना | kāma-īpsunā | instrumental singular | by one who desires to obtain what he wants. |
| कर्म | karma | nominative singular | action. |
| स-अहंकारेण | sa-ahaṃkāreṇa | instrumental singular | with the "I." Accompanied by ego. sa- (स-) means "with." |
| वा | vā | indeclinable | or. |
| पुनः | punaḥ | indeclinable | again. Or else. |
| क्रियते | kriyate | present, 3rd singular, passive | is done. |
| बहुल-आयासम् | bahula-āyāsam | nominative singular neuter | of much toil. bahula (बहुल) is abundant. āyāsa (आयास) is exertion. Agrees with karma (कर्म). |
| तत् | tat | nominative singular neuter | that. |
| राजसम् | rājasam | nominative singular neuter | rājasa (राजस). |
| उदाहृतम् | udāhṛtam | nominative singular neuter | is declared. |
The phrases
yat tu kāma-īpsunā karma (यत् तु काम-ईप्सुना कर्म) is the action done by the man who wants to get what he desires. kāma-īpsunā (काम-ईप्सुना) is recited kāmepsunā (कामेप्सुना). अ + ई a + ī becomes e (ए).
sa-ahaṃkāreṇa vā punaḥ (स-अहंकारेण वा पुनः) is the other way the same act is done: with the "I," or again that way. sa-ahaṃkāreṇa (स-अहंकारेण) is sāhaṃkāreṇa (साहंकारेण).
kriyate bahula-āyāsam (क्रियते बहुल-आयासम्) says it is done, and it is much toil. तत् राजसम् उदाहृतम् tat rājasam udāhṛtam names it. tat rājasam (तत् राजसम्) is tad rājasam (तद्राजसम्). t (त्) before r (र्) becomes d (द्).
Sanskrit in this line
sa- (स-) at the front of sa-ahaṃkāreṇa (स-अहंकारेण) means "with," "accompanied by." It is not the pronoun saḥ (सः). The pronoun would mean "by him," and it would not compound. Here sa- (स-) and ahaṃkāra (अहंकार) are one word, instrumental singular, "by the one that has the I-making with it," or simply "with ego." vā punaḥ (वा पुनः) offers that as the other way beside kāma-īpsunā (काम-ईप्सुना). Both instrumentals tell who, or how, the act is done. karma (कर्म) stays nominative.
Say it back
Cover the English. Say the two instrumentals. If sa-ahaṃkāreṇa (स-अहंकारेण) is heard as "by him, the ego," the prefix was lost. Stay here.