18.60
स्वभावजेन कौन्तेय
निबद्धः स्वेन कर्मणा ।
कर्तुं नेच्छसि यन्मोहात्
करिष्यस्यवशोपि तत् ॥
svabhāvajena kaunteya nibaddhaḥ svena karmaṇā
kartuṃ necchasi yan mohāt kariṣyasy avaśopi tat
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking, to Kaunteya (कौन्तेय).
The verse
Bound by the action born of your own nature, O son of Kunti, what from delusion you do not wish to do, that you will do even against your will.
नेपालीमा
हे कुन्तीका छोरा, आफ्नै स्वभावबाट जन्मेको कर्मले बाँधिएकाले, मोहले गर्न नचाहेको काम पनि तिमी इच्छाविरुद्ध गर्नेछौ।
Where it sits
The yoke is his own svabhāva-ja (स्वभाव-ज) work, done from moha (मोह) while he is helpless, and the next verse names who turns every being.
Split: स्वभाव-जेन + कौन्तेय + निबद्धः + स्वेन + कर्मणा + कर्तुम् + न + इच्छसि + यत् + मोहात् + करिष्यसि + अवशः + अपि + तत्
svabhāva-jena + kaunteya + nibaddhaḥ + svena + karmaṇā + kartum + na + icchasi + yat + mohāt + kariṣyasi + avaśaḥ + api + tat
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| स्वभाव-जेन | svabhāva-jena | instrumental | by what is born of one's own nature. |
| कौन्तेय | kaunteya | vocative | son of Kuntī (कुन्ती). |
| निबद्धः | nibaddhaḥ | nominative | bound. From ni-bandh (नि-बन्ध्). |
| स्वेन | svena | instrumental | by one's own. Agrees with karmaṇā (कर्मणा). |
| कर्मणा | karmaṇā | instrumental | by action. |
| कर्तुम् | kartum | infinitive | to do. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| इच्छसि | icchasi | present, 2nd singular | you wish. From iṣ (इष्). |
| यत् | yat | accusative neuter | what, that which. |
| मोहात् | mohāt | ablative | from delusion. |
| करिष्यसि | kariṣyasi | future, 2nd singular | you will do. From kṛ (कृ). |
| अवशः | avaśaḥ | nominative | without power over yourself, not your own master. vaśa (वश) is one's own will. |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | even. |
| तत् | tat | accusative neuter | that. The thing he does not wish to do. |
The phrases
svabhāvajena kaunteya nibaddhaḥ svena karmaṇā (स्वभावजेन कौन्तेय निबद्धः स्वेन कर्मणा) is the binding. Bound by his own action, the action born of his own nature. Both instrumentals say how he is bound.
kartuṃ necchasi yan mohāt (कर्तुं नेच्छसि यन्मोहात्) is the unwillingness. What, from delusion, you do not wish to do.
kariṣyasy avaśopi tat (करिष्यस्यवशोपि तत्) is the future against that wish. That, you will do, even without power over yourself. avaśaḥ (अवशः) is nominative, describing the "you" inside kariṣyasi (करिष्यसि).
Sanskrit in this line
अवशः + अपि avaśaḥ + api is recited avaśopi (अवशोपि). अः + अ aḥ + a becomes o (ओ), and the a (अ) of api (अपि) is dropped. This printed line does not write the avagraha. The second word is still api (अपि). यत् + मोहात् yat + mohāt is yan mohāt (यन्मोहात्), because t (त्) before m (म्) becomes n (न्).
Say it back
Cover the English. Say what he does not wish, and what he will do anyway. If avaśaḥ (अवशः) drops and the doing sounds chosen, stay here.