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Bhagavad-Gītā with Śaṅkara's bhāṣya · 2.15
yaṃ hi na vyathayanty ete puruṣaṃ puruṣarṣabha | sama-duḥkha-sukhaṃ dhīraṃ so 'mṛtatvāya kalpate
Translation. For the wise, equanimous man whom these [opposites such as cold and heat] do not unsettle,
O best of men—that man becomes fit for immortality (amṛtatva), that is, liberation.
Grammar check: 11 words pass / 1 flagged / 0 beyond the checkerPāṇini-verified
Every word's claimed grammar is re-derived with vidyut-prakriya, software implementing Pāṇini's rules. Flags are shown, never hidden; some are the text taking epic or Vedic liberties the classical rules do not generate.
Word by word
| surface | lemma | grammar |
| yam | yad | pass |
| hi | hi | pass |
| na | na | pass |
| vyathayanti | vyath | fail |
| ete | etad | pass |
| puruṣam | puruṣa | pass |
| puruṣarṣabha | puruṣarṣabha | pass |
| sama-duḥkha-sukham | sama-duḥkha-sukha | pass |
| dhīram | dhīra | pass |
| saḥ | tad | pass |
| amṛtatvāya | amṛtatva | pass |
| kalpate | kṛp | pass |
How the commentary settled it
Where the verse alone is ambiguous, the reading follows Śaṅkara's commentary; the deciding lines are quoted below each decision.
Construe yaṃ puruṣam as the accusative object of vyathayanti and saḥ as the correlative nominative subject of kalpate; both denote the same man.→ Relative-correlative construction: “the man whom … that man ….”
gita [1]yaṃ hi puruṣaṃ same duḥkha-sukhe yasya taṃ sama-duḥkha-sukhaṃ
The commentary begins with “the man whom” and continues to describe that same accusative referent as the one for whom pain and pleasure are equal.
Take ete as masculine nominative plural, the subject of plural vyathayanti, referring to the previously described opposites headed by cold and heat.→ Masculine nominative plural: “these [opposites such as cold and heat].”
gita [1]ete yathoktāḥ śītoṣṇādayaḥ
“These” are the aforementioned things beginning with cold and heat.
Analyze vyathayanti as a causative Kartari present from vyath with ṇic and translate it “unsettle” or “shake,” rather than merely “feel pain.”→ “Do not unsettle,” preserving both the causative morphology and Śaṅkara’s gloss.
gita [1]na vyathayanti na cālayanti nityātma-darśanāt
They do not distress him, do not shake him, because of his vision of the eternal Self.
Treat sama-duḥkha-sukham as a masculine accusative bahuvrīhi describing the man: pain and pleasure are equal for him, so he remains free from elation and dejection when they arise.→ Bahuvrīhi, “equanimous in pain and pleasure.”
gita [1]same duḥkha-sukhe yasya taṃ sama-duḥkha-sukhaṃ sukha-duḥkha-prāptau harṣa-viṣāda-rahitam
He for whom pain and pleasure are equal is called sama-duḥkha-sukha; when pleasure and pain are encountered, he is without elation and dejection.
Translate dhīra as “wise,” in accordance with the explicit gloss dhīmantam, rather than relying only on the common contextual rendering “steadfast.”→ “Wise.”
gita [1]dhīraṃ dhīmantam
The steadfast/wise one—that is, the intelligent or wise one.
Interpret amṛtatvāya as a dative of end with kalpate: “for immortality”; Śaṅkara defines that immortality as the state of being immortal and, technically, liberation (mokṣa).→ “For immortality (amṛtatva), that is, liberation.”
gita [1]amṛtatvāya amṛta-bhāvāya mokṣāyety arthaḥ
“For immortality” means for the state of being immortal, that is, for liberation.
Take kalpate in the sense “becomes fit/capable,” not “imagines,” “creates,” or a passive “is fashioned.” Its Kartari subject is saḥ.→ “Becomes fit.”
gita [1]kalpate samartho bhavati
Kalpate means “he becomes capable.”
Analyze puruṣarṣabha as a genitive tatpuruṣa, puruṣāṇām ṛṣabhaḥ, meaning “the best of men,” with ṛṣabha in its transferred sense “the most excellent of a class” [MW s.v. ṛṣabha, 226,3].→ Genitive tatpuruṣa, “O best of men.”
gita []
The commentary does not gloss this address; the relation is determined by standard compound grammar and the cited dictionary sense.
Take hi as a causal discourse particle applying to the assertion as a whole, “for,” following its ordinary usage [MW s.v. hi, 1297,3].→ Causal “for.”
gita []
The commentary provides no separate gloss of hi; the decision rests on syntax and ordinary lexical usage.
Śaṅkara's commentary on this unit
1yaṃ hi puruṣaṃ same duḥkha-sukhe yasya taṃ sama-duḥkha-sukhaṃ sukha-duḥkha-prāptau harṣa-viṣāda-rahitaṃ dhīraṃ dhīmantaṃ na vyathayanti na cālayanti nityātma-darśanāt ete yathoktāḥ śītoṣṇādayaḥ, sa nityātma-svarūpa-darśa-niṣṭho dvandva-sahiṣṇuḥ amṛtatvāya amṛta-bhāvāya mokṣāyety arthaḥ kalpate samartho bhavati ||bhgs_2.15||
2itaś ca śoka-mohau akṛtvā śītoṣṇādi-sahanaṃ yuktam, yasmāt ---