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Bhagavad-Gītā with Śaṅkara's bhāṣya · 2.43
kāmātmānaḥ svarga-parā janma-karma-phala-pradām | kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṃ bhogaiśvarya-gatiṃ prati
Translation. Desire-natured, with heaven as their highest end,
[they proclaim that speech] which bestows birth as the fruit of action (karma),
abounding in special rites (kriyā-viśeṣa)
that serve toward attainment of enjoyment (bhoga) and lordship (aiśvarya).
Grammar check: 6 words pass / 0 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 |
|---|
| kāmātmānaḥ | kāmātman | pass |
| svarga-parāḥ | svarga-para | pass |
| janma-karma-phala-pradām | janma-karma-phala-prada | pass |
| kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulām | kriyā-viśeṣa-bahula | pass |
| bhogaiśvarya-gatim | bhogaiśvarya-gati | pass |
| prati | prati | 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.
Interpret kāmātmānaḥ as a bahuvrīhi meaning “those whose nature is desire,” rather than literally as independent “desire-selves.”→ A bahuvrīhi describing the speakers as desire-natured or desire-dominated.
gita [1]kāmātmānaḥ kāmasvabhāvāḥ, kāmaparā ity arthaḥ |
“Kāmātmānaḥ” means those whose nature is desire, that is, those devoted to desire.
Take svarga-parāḥ as “those for whom heaven is the supreme human end,” not “those beyond heaven.”→ A bahuvrīhi expressing that heaven is their paramount goal.
gita [2]svarga-parāḥ svargaḥ paraḥ puruṣārthaḥ yeṣāṃ te svarga-parāḥ svarga-pradhānāḥ |
Those for whom heaven is the supreme human end are svarga-parāḥ—those who make heaven predominant.
Parse janma-karma-phala-pradām as “which bestows birth as the fruit of action,” with janman identified as karma-phala, rather than as a coordinate list of birth, action, and fruit.→ Birth is itself the fruit of action, and that is what the speech promises to bestow.
gita [3]janma-karma-phala-pradāṃ karmaṇaḥ phalaṃ karma-phalaṃ janmaiva karma-phalaṃ janma-karma-phalaṃ tat pradadātīti janma-karma-phala-pradā, tāṃ vācam |
The fruit of action is karma-phala; birth itself is the fruit of action, hence janma-karma-phala; because it bestows that, it is janma-karma-phala-pradā—[this describes] that speech.
Supply vācam as the noun qualified by the two feminine accusatives and carry forward pravadanti as their governing verb.→ Translate the inherited syntax explicitly but mark the supplied words with brackets: “[they proclaim that speech].”
gita [3, 4]janma-karma-phala-pradāṃ karmaṇaḥ phalaṃ karma-phalaṃ janmaiva karma-phalaṃ janma-karma-phalaṃ tat pradadātīti janma-karma-phala-pradā, tāṃ vācam |
pravadanti ity anuṣajyate |
Janma-karma-phala-pradā qualifies “that speech”; the verb “they proclaim” is to be carried forward.
Analyze kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulām as a bahuvrīhi qualifying speech: the speech contains numerous special forms of ritual action.→ “Abounding in special rites,” with kriyā-viśeṣa internally meaning particular forms of ritual action.
gita [5]kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṃ kriyāṇāṃ viśeṣāḥ kriyā-viśeṣāḥ te bahulā yasyāṃ vāci tāṃ svarga-paśu-putrādy-arthāḥ yayā vācā bāhulyena prakāśyante |
The particular forms of rites are kriyā-viśeṣāḥ; the speech in which they are numerous is kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulā. Through that speech, aims such as heaven, cattle, and sons are extensively presented.
Take bhogaiśvarya as an internal dvandva, gati as “attainment,” and the prati phrase as the goal for which the special rites are means.→ “Toward the attainment of enjoyment and lordship,” with the special rites construed as instrumental means to that goal.
gita [6]bhogaiśvarya-gatiṃ prati bhogaś ca aiśvaryaṃ ca bhogaiśvarye, tayor gatiḥ prāptiḥ bhogaiśvarya-gatiḥ, tāṃ prati sādhana-bhūtāḥ ye kriyā-viśeṣāḥ tad-bahulāṃ tāṃ vācaṃ pravadantaḥ mūḍhāḥ saṃsāre parivartante ity abhiprāyaḥ ||bhgs_2.43||
Enjoyment and lordship together are bhogaiśvarye; their gati is their attainment. The speech is abundant in special rites that serve as means toward that attainment. The implication is that the deluded speakers continue revolving in saṃsāra.
Śaṅkara's commentary on this unit
1kāmātmānaḥ kāmasvabhāvāḥ, kāmaparā ity arthaḥ |
2svarga-parāḥ svargaḥ paraḥ puruṣārthaḥ yeṣāṃ te svarga-parāḥ svarga-pradhānāḥ |
3janma-karma-phala-pradāṃ karmaṇaḥ phalaṃ karma-phalaṃ janmaiva karma-phalaṃ janma-karma-phalaṃ tat pradadātīti janma-karma-phala-pradā, tāṃ vācam |
4pravadanti ity anuṣajyate |
5kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṃ kriyāṇāṃ viśeṣāḥ kriyā-viśeṣāḥ te bahulā yasyāṃ vāci tāṃ svarga-paśu-putrādy-arthāḥ yayā vācā bāhulyena prakāśyante |
6bhogaiśvarya-gatiṃ prati bhogaś ca aiśvaryaṃ ca bhogaiśvarye, tayor gatiḥ prāptiḥ bhogaiśvarya-gatiḥ, tāṃ prati sādhana-bhūtāḥ ye kriyā-viśeṣāḥ tad-bahulāṃ tāṃ vācaṃ pravadantaḥ mūḍhāḥ saṃsāre parivartante ity abhiprāyaḥ ||bhgs_2.43||
7teṣāṃ ca -
8bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṃ tayāpahṛta-cetasām |
9vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate