18.41
ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां
शूद्राणां च परन्तप ।
कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि
स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः ॥
brāhmaṇakṣatriyaviśāṃ śūdrāṇāṃ ca parantapa
karmāṇi pravibhaktāni svabhāvaprabhavair guṇaiḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
The works of brahmins, of kṣatriya (क्षत्रिय), of vaiśya (वैश्य), and of śūdra (शूद्र) are apportioned by the guṇa (गुण) that arise from one's own nature.
नेपालीमा
ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय, वैश्य र शूद्रका कर्म आफ्नै स्वभावबाट उठेका गुणले बाँडिएका हुन्छन्।
Where it sits
The four works come up from the nature a person already carries, and the next three verses name them.
Split: ब्राह्मण-क्षत्रिय-विशाम् + शूद्राणाम् + च + परन्तप + कर्माणि + प्रविभक्तानि + स्वभाव-प्रभवैः + गुणैः
brāhmaṇa-kṣatriya-viśām + śūdrāṇām + ca + parantapa + karmāṇi + pravibhaktāni + svabhāva-prabhavaiḥ + guṇaiḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| ब्राह्मण-क्षत्रिय-विशाम् | brāhmaṇa-kṣatriya-viśām | genitive plural | of brahmins, of kṣatriya (क्षत्रिय), and of the vaiśya (वैश्य) folk. viś (विश्) is the people, the third order. A dvandva (द्वन्द्व). |
| शूद्राणाम् | śūdrāṇām | genitive plural | of śūdra (शूद्र). |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. It adds the fourth to the three in the compound. |
| परन्तप | parantapa | vocative | scorcher of the foe. para (पर) is the other, the foe. tapa (तप) is heat. Said to Arjuna (अर्जुन). |
| कर्माणि | karmāṇi | nominative plural of karman (कर्मन्) | works. |
| प्रविभक्तानि | pravibhaktāni | nominative plural neuter | apportioned, divided out. From pra-vi-bhaj (प्र-वि-भज्). Agrees with karmāṇi (कर्माणि). |
| स्वभाव-प्रभवैः | svabhāva-prabhavaiḥ | instrumental plural | by those that arise from one's own nature. svabhāva (स्वभाव) is one's own being. prabhava (प्रभव) is the arising. |
| गुणैः | guṇaiḥ | instrumental plural | by the guṇa (गुण). |
The phrases
brāhmaṇakṣatriyaviśāṃ śūdrāṇāṃ ca (ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च) names whose works these are. Three orders stand in one genitive compound. ca (च) brings in the śūdra (शूद्र) as the fourth.
karmāṇi pravibhaktāni (कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि) is the thing divided. There is no finite verb. The participle predicates: the works are already apportioned.
svabhāvaprabhavair guṇaiḥ (स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः) is what does the apportioning. The guṇa (गुण), and they come up out of one's own nature. parantapa (परन्तप) only turns the line to the man who must hear it.
Sanskrit in this line
-aiḥ (ऐः) is the instrumental plural of an a (अ)-stem. guṇa (गुण) becomes guṇaiḥ (गुणैः), "by the guṇa (गुण)." The same ending sits on prabhavaiḥ (प्रभवैः). Before the voiced g (ग्), that aiḥ (ऐः) is recited air (ऐर्): svabhāva-prabhavaiḥ guṇaiḥ (स्वभाव-प्रभवैः गुणैः) is svabhāvaprabhavair guṇaiḥ (स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः).
Say it back
Cover the English. Name the four, then what divides their works. If svabhāva (स्वभाव) drops and the division sounds imposed from outside, stay here.