18.32
अधर्मं धर्ममिति या
मन्यते तमसावृता ।
सर्वार्थान्विपरीतांश्च
बुद्धिः सा पार्थ तामसी ॥
adharmaṃ dharmam iti yā manyate tamasāvṛtā
sarvārthān viparītāṃś ca buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन). This is the intellect of tamas (तमस्).
The verse
The intellect which, covered by darkness, thinks "what is not right is right," and thinks all aims in reverse: that, son of Pṛthā (पृथा), is tāmasī (तामसी).
नेपालीमा
अन्धकारले ढाकिएको जुन बुद्धिले जो ठीक होइन त्यसलाई ठीक ठान्छ, र सबै उद्देश्य उल्टो ठान्छ, हे पृथाका छोरा, त्यो तामसी हो।
Where it sits
18.31 still looked at the pairs and looked badly; this one, covered by darkness, calls adharma (अधर्म) by the name dharma (धर्म) and reverses every aim. The three intellects are complete, and 18.33 begins resolve.
Split: अधर्मम् + धर्मम् + इति + या + मन्यते + तमसा + आवृता + सर्व-अर्थान् + विपरीतान् + च + बुद्धिः + सा + पार्थ + तामसी
adharmam + dharmam + iti + yā + manyate + tamasā + āvṛtā + sarva-arthān + viparītān + ca + buddhiḥ + sā + pārtha + tāmasī
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अधर्मम् | adharmam | accusative singular | what is not dharma (धर्म). |
| धर्मम् | dharmam | accusative singular | dharma (धर्म). |
| इति | iti | indeclinable | thus. "Calling it dharma (धर्म)." |
| या | yā | nominative singular feminine | which. |
| मन्यते | manyate | present, 3rd singular, middle of man (मन्) | thinks. Supposes. |
| तमसा | tamasā | instrumental singular of tamas (तमस्) | by darkness. |
| आवृता | āvṛtā | nominative singular feminine, past participle | covered. Agrees with buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः). |
| सर्व-अर्थान् | sarva-arthān | accusative plural | all aims. All things. |
| विपरीतान् | viparītān | accusative plural | reversed. Turned backward. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| बुद्धिः | buddhiḥ | nominative singular | intellect. |
| सा | sā | nominative singular feminine | that. |
| पार्थ | pārtha | vocative | son of Pṛthā (पृथा). |
| तामसी | tāmasī | nominative singular feminine | tāmasī (तामसी). |
The phrases
अधर्मम् धर्मम् इति या मन्यते adharmam dharmam iti yā manyate is the reversal. Which thinks "what is not right is right." धर्मम् इति dharmam iti is dharmam iti (धर्ममिति). tamasā āvṛtā (तमसा आवृता) says why: covered by darkness. tamasā āvṛtā (तमसा आवृता) is tamasāvṛtā (तमसावृता).
sarva-arthān viparītān ca (सर्व-अर्थान् विपरीतान् च) widens it. And all aims, reversed. viparītān ca (विपरीतान् च) is viparītāṃś ca (विपरीतांश्च). n (न्) before c (च्) becomes the anusvara plus ś (श्). buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī (बुद्धिः सा पार्थ तामसी) names it.
Sanskrit in this line
iti (इति) with manyate (मन्यते) is "thinks A to be B." adharmam (अधर्मम्) is what is thought about. धर्मम् इति dharmam iti is what it is thought to be. The two accusatives are not a pair of equals. The iti (इति) decides which one is the name being given. tamasā (तमसा) is instrumental of the thing that covers, and āvṛtā (आवृता) is the participle "covered." The intellect is covered by darkness. The darkness is not the subject.
Say it back
Cover the English. Say what it calls dharma (धर्म). If adharmam (अधर्मम्) and dharmam (धर्मम्) trade places, stay here.