Bhagavadgītā — Reading

BhG 1.1 · Dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca

dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: On the field of dharma (dharma-kṣetre), on the field of the Kurus (kuru-kṣetre), assembled (samavetāḥ) and eager to fight (yuyutsavaḥ) — my own (māmakāḥ) and the sons of Pāṇḍu (pāṇḍavāḥ) — what did they do (kim akurvata), Sañjaya?

Vocabulary

dharma-kṣetran. loc.sg -kṣetre
“field of dharma” — tatpuruṣa: dharma (righteous order) + kṣetra (field)
kuru-kṣetran. loc.sg -kṣetre
proper name of the battlefield — “field of the Kurus”
samavetapp. nom.pl.m -tāḥ
“come together, assembled” — sam + ā + √i + past participle -ta
yuyutsudesid.adj. nom.pl.m -avaḥ
“desiring to fight” — desiderative from √yudh “fight”
māmakaadj. nom.pl.m -āḥ
“mine, my own” — possessive; here “my [sons]”
pāṇḍavam. nom.pl -āḥ
“son of Pāṇḍu” — patronymic
kiminterr. pron.
“what?”
akurvataverb 3 pl impf ātm
“they were doing / did” — from √kṛ “to do, make”
sañjayam. voc.sg
“O Sañjaya” — the minister to whom the blind king is speaking

Sañjaya has been granted divine sight by Vyāsa, and reports the whole battle (and thus the whole Gītā) to Dhṛtarāṣṭra from the palace. The entire text is technically his narration.

BhG 2.11 · Śrībhagavān uvāca

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṃ prajñāvādāṃś ca bhāṣase gatāsūn agatāsūṃś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

The Blessed Lord said: You (tvam) have been grieving (anvaśocaḥ) for those who are not to be grieved for (aśocyān), and yet you speak (bhāṣase) words of wisdom (prajñā-vādān). The learned (paṇḍitāḥ) grieve neither for those whose breath has departed (gatāsūn) nor for those whose breath has not (agatāsūn).

Vocabulary

aśocyafut.pass.part. acc.pl.m -ān
“not to be grieved for” — a- (neg.) + √śuc + gerundive -ya
anuśocativerb 2 sg impf para -aḥ
“to grieve for, lament after” — anu + √śuc
tvampron. nom.sg
“you”
prajñā-vādam. acc.pl -ān (+ṃś by sandhi)
“words of wisdom” — tatpuruṣa: prajñā (wisdom) + vāda (speech, statement)
bhāṣateverb 2 sg pres ātm -ase
“you speak, say” — √bhāṣ ātmanepada
gatāsubahuvrīhi adj. acc.pl.m -ūn
“whose breath has departed, dead” — gata (gone) + asu (breath)
agatāsuadj. acc.pl.m -ūn (+ṃś by sandhi)
“whose breath has not departed, living”
anuśocantiverb 3 pl pres para
“they grieve for” — from √śuc
paṇḍitam. nom.pl -āḥ
“learned, wise” — substantive adjective

Kṛṣṇa's first substantive response to Arjuna's despair and the opening move of the whole philosophical argument of the Gītā.

BhG 2.47

karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana mā karmaphalahetur bhūr mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi

Your (te) authority (adhikāraḥ) is over action (karmaṇi) alone (eva), never (mā kadācana) over its fruits (phaleṣu). Do not be (mā bhūḥ) the motive of the fruit of action (karma-phala-hetuḥ), nor let there be (mā astu) your attachment (te saṅgaḥ) to inaction (akarmaṇi).

Vocabulary

karmann. loc.sg karmaṇi
“action, deed, ritual work” — √kṛ + suffix -man
evaparticle
“only, alone, precisely” — emphatic
adhikāram. nom.sg -aḥ
“authority, prerogative, right” — adhi + √kṛ
tepron. gen.sg of tvam
“your, of you” — enclitic form
māprohibitive particle
“do not, never” — used with injunctive or subjunctive
phalan. loc.pl -eṣu
“fruit, result, consequence” — of action (karma-phala)
kadācanaadverb
“ever, at any time” — with mā: “never”
karma-phala-hetum. nom.sg -uḥ
“motive for the fruit of action” — three-member tatpuruṣa: karma + phala + hetu
bhūḥverb 2 sg inj. of √bhū
“you may be” — with mā: “do not be”
saṅgam. nom.sg -aḥ
“attachment, clinging, association” — √sañj
astuverb 3 sg imp. of √as
“let it be, may there be”
akarmann. loc.sg -maṇi
“inaction, non-action” — a- (neg.) + karman

The most-quoted verse of the Gītā — the nucleus of karma-yoga, action performed without attachment to its result.

Chapter 2