BhG 3.2

vyāmiśreṇaiva vākyena buddhiṃ mohayasīva me
tad ekaṃ vada niścitya yena śreyo ham āpnuyām

Update Required
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.


syntax


vyāmiśreṇa eva (indeed by equivocal) vākyena (by speech) me (my) buddhiṁ (intelligence) mohayasi iva (as if you bewilder).
[ataḥ] (therefore) yena (by which) ahaṁ (I) śreyaḥ (welfare) āpnuyām (I would obtain),
tat ekaṁ (that alone) niścitya (after ascertaining) vada (speak).

 

grammar

vyāmiśreṇa vi-ā-miśra 3n.1 n.by mixed, equivocal  (from: vi-ā-miśr – to mix);
eva av.certainly, just, merely;
vākyena vākya (vac – to speak) PF 3n.1 n.by speech;
buddhim buddhi 2n.1 f.intelligence, thought, understanding, knowledge, idea, opinion (from: budh – to wake, to perceive, to understand);
mohayasi muh (to become confused, bewildered, stupefied) Praes. caus. P 2v.1you bewilder;
iva av.like, in the same manner as, almost, exactly;
me asmat sn. 6n.1my (shortened form of: mama);
tat tat sn. 2n.1 n.that;
ekam eka sn. 2n.1 n.one, alone;
vada vad (to speak) Imperat. P 2v.1speak;
niścitya niḥ-ci (to ascertain, to determine) absol.after ascertaining;
yena yat sn. 3n.1 n.that by which, wherefore;
śreyaḥ śreyas 2n.1 n. better, higher, perfect, the auspiciousness, the welfare (comparative of: śrī – śreyas, śreṣṭha);
aham asmat sn. 1n.1I;
āpnuyām āp (to obtain) Pot. P 3v.1I would obtain;

 

textual variants

vyāmiśreṇaiva → vyāmiśreṇeva (as if equivocal);

 
 



Śāṃkara

The key:
an excerpt from the commented verse
quotes from the scriptures
starting polemic

Moreover,

kiṃ ca –

With an apparently perplexing speech, Thou confusest as it were my understanding.
Tell me with certainty that one (way) by which I may attain bliss.

vyāmiśreṇeva vākyena buddhiṃ mohayasīva me
tad ekaṃ vada niścitya yena śreyo ’ham āpnuyām ||3.2||

No doubt the Lord speaks clearly; still, to me of dull understanding the speech of the Lord appears to be perplexing. Thereby „Thou confusest as it were my understanding.

vyāmiśreṇeva, yadyapi vivaktābhidhāyī bhagavān, tathāpi mama manda-buddher vyāmiśram iva bhagavad-vākyaṃ pratibhāti | tena mama buddhiṃ mohayasīva |

Arjuna means – ” It is not possible that Thou wouldst confuse me, Thou who hast undertaken to remove my confusion? Hence I say ‚Thou confuses as it were my understanding.”

mama buddhi-vyāmohāpanayāya hi pravṛttas tvaṃ tu kathaṃ mohayasi ? ataḥ bravīmi | buddhiṃ mohayasi iva me mama iti |

He goes on: If Thou thinkest that knowledge and action, which are intended for two distinct classes of aspirants, cannot both be followed by one and the same person, then teach me one of the two, knowledge or action, after determining (within Thyself) that ” this one alone is suited to Arjuna, and is in accordance with the state and powers of his understanding;” teach me that one of the two, knowledge or action, by which I may attain bliss.

tvaṃ tu bhinna-kartṛkayoḥ jñāna-karmaṇor eka-puruṣānuṣṭhānāsaṃbhavaṃ yadi manyase, tatraivaṃ sati tat tayor ekaṃ buddhiṃ karma vā idam evārjunasya yogyaṃ buddhi-śakty-avasthānurūpam iti niścitya vada brūhi, yena jñānena karmaṇā vā anyatareṇa śreyo ’ham āpnuyāṃ prāpnuyām |

If knowledge had been intended by the Lord to be at least an accessory to devotion to action, why then should Arjuna wish to know about only one of them.

yadi hi karma-niṣṭhāyāṃ guṇa-bhūtam api jñānaṃ bhagavatoktaṃ syāt tat kathaṃ tayor ekaṃ vada ity eka-viṣayaivārjunasya śuśrūṣā syāt |

It had not indeed been said by the Lord that He would teach him one only of the two, knowledge or action, but not both, – in which case alone Arjuna might ask for one only, seeing that both would not be taught to him.

na hi bhagavatā pūrvam uktam anyatarad eva jñāna-karmaṇoḥ vakṣyāmi, naiva dvayam iti, yena ubhaya-prāpty-asaṃbhavam ātmano manyamāna ekam eva prārthayet ||3.2||

 

Rāmānuja


yadi karmaṇo buddhir eva jyāyasīti te matā, kim arthaṃ tarhi ghore karmaṇi māṃ niyojayasi / etad uktaṃ bhavati jñānaniṣṭhaivātmāvalokanasādhanam; karmaniṣṭhā tu tasyāḥ niṣpādikā; ātmāvalokanasādhanabhūtā ca jñānaniṣṭhā sakalendriyamanasāṃ śabdādiviṣayavyāpāroparatiniṣpādyety abhihitā / indriyavyāpāroparatiniṣpādyam ātmāvalokanaṃ cet siṣādhayiṣitam, sakalakarmanivṛttipūrvakajñānaniṣṭhāyām evāhaṃ niyojayitavyaḥ / kim arthaṃ ghore karmaṇi sarvendriyavyāpārarūpe ātmāvalokanavirodhini karmaṇi māṃ niyojayasīti // ato miśravākyena māṃ mohayasīva pratibhāti / tathā hy ātmāvalokanasādhanabhūtāyāḥ sarvendriyavyāpāroparatirūpāyāḥ jñānaniṣṭhāyāḥ tadviparyayarūpaṃ karma sādhanam, tad eva kurv iti vākyaṃ viruddhaṃ vyāmiśram eva / tasmād ekam amiśrarūpaṃ vākyaṃ vada, yena vākyenāham anuṣṭheyarūpaṃ niścitya śreyaḥ prāpnuyām

 

Śrīdhara

nanu dharmyād dhi yuddhāc chreyo ‚nyat kṣatriyasya na vidyata ity ādinā karmaṇo ‚pi śreṣṭhatvm uktam eva ity āśaṅkyāha vyāmiśreṇeti | kvacit karma-praśaṃsā kvacit jñāna-praśaṃsā ity evaṃ vyāmiśraṃ sandeho ‚pādakam iva yad vākyaṃ tena me mama buddhiṃ matim ubhayatra dolāyitāṃ kurvan mohayasīva | ata ubhayor madhye yad bhadraṃ tad ekaṃ niścitya vadeti | yad vā, idam eva śreyaḥ-sādhanam iti niścitya yenānuṣṭhitena śreyo mokṣam aham āpnuyāṃ prāpsyāmi tad evaikaṃ niścitya vadety arthaḥ

 

Madhusūdana


nanu nāhaṃ kaṃcid api pratārayāmi kiṃ punas tvām atipriyam | tvaṃ tu kiṃ me pratāraṇā-cihnaṃ paśyasīti cet tatrāha vyāmiśreṇeti | tava vacanaṃ vyāmiśraṃ na bhavaty eva mama tv ekādhikārikatva-bhinnādhikārikatva-sandehād vyāmiśraṃ saṅkīrṇārtham iva te yad vākyaṃ māṃ prati jñāna-karma-niṣṭhā-dvaya-pratipādakaṃ tvaṃ me mama manda-buddher vākya-tātparyāparijñānād buddhim antaḥkaraṇaṃ mohayasīva bhrāntyā yojayasīva | parama-kāruṇikatvāt tvaṃ na mohayasy eva mama tu svāśaya-doṣān moho bhavatītīvaśa-śabdārthaḥ | ekādhikāritve viruddhayoḥ samuccayānupapatter ekārthatvābhāvena ca vikalpānupapatteḥ prāg-ukter yady adhikāri-bhedaṃ manyase tadaikaṃ māṃ prati viruddhayor niṣṭhayor upadeśaāyogāt taj jñānaṃ vā karma vaikam evādhikāraṃ me niścitya vada | yenādhikāra-niścaya-puraḥsaram uktena tvayā mayā cānuṣṭhitena jñānena karmaṇā vaikena śreyo mokṣam aham āpnuyāṃ prāptuṃ yogyaḥ syām |

evaṃ jñāna-karma-niṣṭhayor ekādhikāritve vikalpa-samuccayayor asambhavād adhikāri-bheda-jñānāyārjunasya praśna iti sthitam |

ihetareṣāṃ kumataṃ samastaṃ
śruti-smṛti-nyāya-balān nirastam |
punaḥ punar bhāṣya-kṛtātiyatnād
ato na tat kartum ahaṃ pravṛttaḥ ||

bhāṣya-kāra-mata-sāra-darśinā
grantha-mātram iha yojyate mayā |
āśayo bhagavataḥ prakāśyate
kevalaṃ sva-vacaso viśuddhaye

 

Viśvanātha


bho vayasya arjuna ! satyaṃ guṇātītā bhaktiḥ sarvotkṛṣṭaiva | kintu sā yādṛcchika-mad-aikāntaika-mahā-bhakta-kṛpaika-labhyatvāt purusodyama-sādhyā na bhavati | ataeva nistraiguṇyo bhava guṇātītayā mad-bhaktyā tvaṃ nistraiguṇyo bhūyā ity āśīrvāda eva dattaḥ | sa ca yadā phaliṣyati tadā tādṛśa-yādṛcchikaikāntika-bhakta-kṛpayā prāptām api lapsyase | sāmprataṃ tu karmaṇy evādhikāras te iti mayoktaṃ cet, satyam | tarhi karmaiva niścitya kathaṃ na brūṣe | kim iti sandeha-sindhau māṃ kṣipasīty āha vyāmiśreṇeti | viśeṣataḥ ā samyaktayā miśraṇaṃ nānā-vidhārtha-milanaṃ yatra tena vākyena me buddhiṃ mohayasi | tathā hi karmaṇy evādhikāras te [Gītā 2.47], siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate [Gītā 2.48],

buddhi-yukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte |
tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam || [Gītā 2.50]

iti yoga-śabda-vācyaṃ jñānam api bravīṣi | yadā te moha-kalilaṃ [Gītā 2.52] ity anena jñānaṃ kevalam api bravīṣi | kiṃ cātra iva-śabdena tvad-vākyasya vastuto nāsti nānārtha-miśritatvam | nāpi kṛpālos tava man-mohanecchā | nāpi mama tat-tad-arthānabhijñatvam iti bhāvaḥ | ayaṃ gūḍho ‚bhiprāyaḥ rājasāt karmaṇaḥ sakāśāt sāttvikaṃ karma śreṣṭhaṃ, tac ca sāttvikam eva | nirguṇa-bhaktiś ca tasmādn atiśreṣṭhaiva | tatra sā yadi mayi na sambhaved iti brūṣe, tadā sāttvikaṃ jñānam evaikaṃ mām upadiśa | tata eva duḥkha-mayāt saṃsāra-bandhanān mukto bhaveyam iti

 

Baladeva


vyāmiśreṇeti | sāṅkhya-buddhi-yoga-buddhyor indriya-nivṛtti-rūpayoḥ sādhya-sādhakatvāvarodhi yad vākyaṃ tad vyāmiśram ucyate | tena me buddhiṃ mohayasīva | vastutas tu sarveśvarasya mat-sakhasya ca me man-mohakatā nāsty eva | mad-buddhi-doṣād evaṃ prayemy aham atīvaśabdārthaḥ | tat tasmād ekam avyāmiśraṃ vākyaṃ vada | na karmaṇā na prajayā dhanena tyāgenaikenāmṛtatvam ānaśur nāsty akṛtaḥ kṛtena iti śrutivat | yenāham anuṣṭheyaṃ niścityātmanaḥ śreyaḥ prāpnuyām

 
 



Both comments and pings are currently closed.