18.48
सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय
सदोषमपि न त्यजेत् ।
सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण
धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः ॥
sahajaṃ karma kaunteya sadoṣam api na tyajet
sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Kaunteya (कौन्तेय), Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
He should not abandon the inborn work, O son of Kunti, even though it has a fault; all undertakings are covered by fault, as fire by smoke.
नेपालीमा
हे कुन्तीका छोरा, दोष भए पनि जन्मसिद्ध कर्म त्याग्नु हुँदैन। थालिएका सबै काम दोषले ढाकिएका हुन्छन्, जसरी आगो धुवाँले ढाकिन्छ।
Where it sits
The fault on the inborn work is the smoke on every fire, so the share of work ends here and the climb past action begins.
Split: सहजम् + कर्म + कौन्तेय + स-दोषम् + अपि + न + त्यजेत् + सर्व-आरम्भाः + हि + दोषेण + धूमेन + अग्निः + इव + आवृताः
sahajam + karma + kaunteya + sa-doṣam + api + na + tyajet + sarva-ārambhāḥ + hi + doṣeṇa + dhūmena + agniḥ + iva + āvṛtāḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| सहजम् | sahajam | accusative neuter | inborn, born along with one. saha (सह) "with," ja (ज) "born." |
| कर्म | karma | accusative of karman (कर्मन्) | the work. |
| कौन्तेय | kaunteya | vocative | son of Kuntī (कुन्ती). |
| स-दोषम् | sa-doṣam | accusative neuter | having a fault. sa- (स-) is "with." Agrees with karma (कर्म). |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | even. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| त्यजेत् | tyajet | optative, 3rd singular | he should abandon. From tyaj (त्यज्). |
| सर्व-आरम्भाः | sarva-ārambhāḥ | nominative plural | all undertakings. ārambha (आरम्भ) is a beginning, an enterprise. |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | indeed. |
| दोषेण | doṣeṇa | instrumental | by fault. |
| धूमेन | dhūmena | instrumental | by smoke. |
| अग्निः | agniḥ | nominative | fire. |
| इव | iva | indeclinable | as, like. |
| आवृताः | āvṛtāḥ | nominative plural | covered. From ā-vṛ (आ-वृ). Agrees with ārambhāḥ (आरम्भाः). |
The phrases
sahajaṃ karma kaunteya sadoṣam api na tyajet (सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत्) is the command. The inborn work, even with a fault on it, he should not abandon. tyajet (त्यजेत्) is optative: this is what he ought not do.
sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ (सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः) is why a fault is no reason to drop it. All undertakings are covered by fault. Fire covered by smoke is the picture. āvṛtāḥ (आवृताः) is plural, with sarva-ārambhāḥ (सर्व-आरम्भाः). agniḥ (अग्निः) is singular, the thing the picture is taken from. iva (इव) sets the fire beside the undertakings.
Sanskrit in this line
āḥ (आः) before a voiced sound drops its visarga and leaves ā (आ). sarva-ārambhāḥ hi (सर्व-आरम्भाः हि) is recited sarvārambhā hi (सर्वारम्भा हि). Then अग्निः + इव agniḥ + iva becomes agnir iva (अग्निरिव), because iḥ (इः) before a vowel becomes ir (इर्). इव + आवृताः iva + āvṛtāḥ is ivāvṛtāḥ (इवावृताः), because अ + आ a + ā becomes ā (आ). The run dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ (धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः) is three joins.
Say it back
Cover the English. Say what he should not abandon, and the picture of the fire. If he abandons the inborn work because of the fault, stay here.