vyāmiśreṇaiva vākyena buddhiṃ mohayasīva me
tad ekaṃ vada niścitya yena śreyo ‘ham āpnuyām
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.1 – you bewilder; |
iva | – | av. – like, in the same manner as, almost, exactly; |
me | – | asmat sn. 6n.1 – my (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.1 – speak; |
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.1 – I; |
āpnuyām | – | √āp (to obtain) Pot. P 3v.1 – I would obtain; |
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. |
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|| |
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
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
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