18.54
ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा
न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।
समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु
मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम् ॥
brahmabhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu madbhaktiṃ labhate parām
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Arjuna (अर्जुन).
The verse
Having become brahman (ब्रह्म), his self clear, he neither grieves nor longs; even toward all beings, he obtains the highest devotion to me.
नेपालीमा
ब्रह्म भइसकेपछि, आत्मा स्पष्ट भएर, ऊ शोक गर्दैन र चाहना राख्दैन। सबै प्राणीप्रति सम रहेर उसले मप्रति सर्वोच्च भक्ति पाउँछ।
Where it sits
The man who has become brahman (ब्रह्म), clear and even, obtains devotion, and 18.55 says what that devotion knows.
Split: ब्रह्म-भूतः + प्रसन्न-आत्मा + न + शोचति + न + काङ्क्षति + समः + सर्वेषु + भूतेषु + मत्-भक्तिम् + लभते + पराम्
brahma-bhūtaḥ + prasanna-ātmā + na + śocati + na + kāṅkṣati + samaḥ + sarveṣu + bhūteṣu + mat-bhaktim + labhate + parām
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| ब्रह्म-भूतः | brahma-bhūtaḥ | nominative | one who has become brahman (ब्रह्म). |
| प्रसन्न-आत्मा | prasanna-ātmā | nominative, bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) | one whose self is clear. prasanna (प्रसन्न) is serene, settled clear. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| शोचति | śocati | present, 3rd singular | he grieves. From śuc (शुच्). |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| काङ्क्षति | kāṅkṣati | present, 3rd singular | he longs. From kāṅkṣ (काङ्क्ष्). |
| समः | samaḥ | nominative | even, the same. |
| सर्वेषु | sarveṣu | locative plural | in all. |
| भूतेषु | bhūteṣu | locative plural | in beings. |
| मत्-भक्तिम् | mat-bhaktim | accusative | devotion to me. |
| लभते | labhate | present, 3rd singular, middle | he obtains. |
| पराम् | parām | accusative feminine | highest. Agrees with bhaktim (भक्तिम्). |
The phrases
brahmabhūtaḥ prasannātmā (ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा) is the man on the far side of 18.53. He has become brahman (ब्रह्म), and his self is clear.
na śocati na kāṅkṣati (न शोचति न काङ्क्षति) is the pair of things he does not do. He does not grieve. He does not long.
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु) is how he stands toward beings. Even, in all of them. The locative is where the evenness applies.
madbhaktiṃ labhate parām (मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम्) is the gain that follows. He obtains the highest devotion to Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण), who is speaking. The road of knowledge has come out at bhakti (भक्ति).
Sanskrit in this line
t (त्) before bh (भ्) becomes d (द्). मत् + भक्तिम् mat + bhaktim is recited madbhaktim (मद्भक्तिम्). mat (मत्) is "my," the stem of the first person used in compounds. The same mat (मत्) becomes mad (मद्) again before bhaktaḥ (भक्तः) in 18.65, and macc (मच्च्) before citta (चित्त) when the next sound is c (च्).
Say it back
Cover the English. Say what he does not do, and what he obtains. If the highest thing he obtains is another heaven, stay here.