18.30
प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च
कार्याकार्ये भयाभये ।
बन्धं मोक्षं च या वेत्ति
बुद्धिः सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी ॥
pravṛttiṃ ca nivṛttiṃ ca kāryākārye bhayābhaye
bandhaṃ mokṣaṃ ca yā vetti buddhiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन). pārtha (पार्थ) again. This is the sāttvika (सात्त्विक) intellect.
The verse
The intellect which knows engagement and withdrawal, what is to be done and what is not, fear and fearlessness, and bondage and release: that, son of Pṛthā (पृथा), is sāttvikī (सात्त्विकी).
नेपालीमा
जुन बुद्धिले कर्ममा लाग्नु र त्यसबाट हट्नु, गर्नुपर्ने र नगर्नुपर्ने, भय र निर्भयता, र बन्धन र मोक्ष चिन्छ, हे पृथाका छोरा, त्यो सात्त्विकी हो।
Where it sits
18.29 promised the division of intellect, and this is the clear one, the intellect that knows both sides of each pair. 18.31 knows dharma (धर्म) and its opposite, but not as they are, and 18.32 calls the wrong thing the right thing.
Split: प्रवृत्तिम् + च + निवृत्तिम् + च + कार्य-अकार्ये + भय-अभये + बन्धम् + मोक्षम् + च + या + वेत्ति + बुद्धिः + सा + पार्थ + सात्त्विकी
pravṛttim + ca + nivṛttim + ca + kārya-akārye + bhaya-abhaye + bandham + mokṣam + ca + yā + vetti + buddhiḥ + sā + pārtha + sāttvikī
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रवृत्तिम् | pravṛttim | accusative singular | engagement. The going forth into action. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| निवृत्तिम् | nivṛttim | accusative singular | withdrawal. The turning back. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| कार्य-अकार्ये | kārya-akārye | accusative dual | what is to be done and what is not to be done. |
| भय-अभये | bhaya-abhaye | accusative dual | fear and the absence of fear. |
| बन्धम् | bandham | accusative singular | bondage. |
| मोक्षम् | mokṣam | accusative singular | release. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| या | yā | nominative singular feminine | which. |
| वेत्ति | vetti | present, 3rd singular | knows. |
| बुद्धिः | buddhiḥ | nominative singular | intellect. |
| सा | sā | nominative singular feminine | that. |
| पार्थ | pārtha | vocative | son of Pṛthā (पृथा). |
| सात्त्विकी | sāttvikī | nominative singular feminine | sāttvikī (सात्त्विकी). Agrees with buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः). |
The phrases
pravṛttiṃ ca nivṛttiṃ ca (प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च) is the first pair the intellect knows: going forth, and turning back. kārya-akārye (कार्य-अकार्ये) and bhaya-abhaye (भय-अभये) are the next pairs, each of them dual. What to do and what not to do. Fear and fearlessness.
bandhaṃ mokṣaṃ ca yā vetti (बन्धं मोक्षं च या वेत्ति) adds bondage and release. yā (या) is feminine, and it belongs to buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः). buddhiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī (बुद्धिः सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी) names it. That intellect, son of Pṛthā (पृथा), is sāttvikī (सात्त्विकी).
Sanskrit in this line
kārya-akārye (कार्य-अकार्ये) is accusative dual, and so is bhaya-abhaye (भय-अभये). The dual ending --e (ए) on an a (अ)-stem names two, not a locative singular, because the compound is a dvandva of two things. kārya (कार्य) and akārya (अकार्य) are the two. Fear and non-fear are the two. pravṛttim (प्रवृत्तिम्) and nivṛttim (निवृत्तिम्) are singular accusatives joined by ca (च), and so are bandham (बन्धम्) and mokṣam (मोक्षम्). The verse uses both ways to say "a pair." yā (या) and sā (सा) and sāttvikī (सात्त्विकी) are feminine because buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः) is feminine.
Say it back
Cover the English. Give the four pairs. If kārya (कार्य) is there without akārya (अकार्य), stay here.