Bhagavad Gita 16.24 Meaning: Tasmachchhastram pramanam

Bhagavad Gita 16.24

तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ ।ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि ॥

Tasmachchhastram pramanam te karyakaryavyavasthitauJnatva shastravidhanoktam karma kartumiharhasi

tasmācchāstraṃ pramāṇaṃ te kāryākāryavyavasthitau |jñātvā śāstravidhānoktaṃ karma kartumihārhasi ||

How to read these English letters (IAST)

Our explanation Krishna closes the chapter. So, he tells Arjuna, let the scriptures be his measure in deciding what should be done and what should not. Knowing what the rule of the scriptures says, he should do his work here. The schools explain which scriptures are meant and what 'here' points to (see the views).

हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण अध्याय पूरा करते हैं। वे अर्जुन से कहते हैं कि क्या करना चाहिए और क्या नहीं, यह तय करने में शास्त्र ही उनका प्रमाण हो। शास्त्र की विधि में जो कहा गया है उसे जानकर उन्हें यहाँ कर्म करना चाहिए। कौन से शास्त्र और “यहाँ” से किस अवस्था की बात है, इसे टीकाकार अपने-अपने ढंग से बताते हैं।

Word by word

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Word by word

तस्मात् tasmāt · therefore (indeclinable) Dictionary: tasmāt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 441, col. 2 “from that, on that account, therefore”
शास्त्रम् śāstram · scripture (noun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: śāstra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1069, col. 1 “any religious or scientific treatise, any sacred book”
प्रमाणम् pramāṇam · authority, standard (noun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: pra-māṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 685, col. 3 “right measure, standard, authority”
ते te · for you (Arjuna) (pronoun, genitive singular) Dictionary: 2. tva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 463, col. 2 “base of the 2nd personal pron.”
कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ kāryākāryavyavasthitau · in deciding what to do and not do (compound (feminine), locative singular) Dictionary: kārya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 276, col. 1 “work or business to be done, duty”; a-kārya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 2, col. 1 “not to be done, improper”; vy-avasthiti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1034, col. 1 “decision, determination”
ज्ञात्वा jñātvā · having known (absolutive (having done)) Dictionary: 1. jñā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 425, col. 3 “to know, have knowledge, become acquainted with”
शास्त्रविधानोक्तम् śāstravidhānoktam · told by the rules of scripture (compound (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: śāstra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1069, col. 1 “any religious or scientific treatise, any sacred book”; vi-dhānokta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 967, col. 3 “proclaimed or enjoined according to rule or (sacred) precept”
कर्म karma · action (noun (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 258, col. 2 “act, action, performance, business”
कर्तुम् kartum · to do (infinitive (to do)) Dictionary: 1. kṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 301, col. 1 “to do, make, perform, accomplish, cause, effect, prepare, undertake”
इह iha · here, in this world (indeclinable) Dictionary: iha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 169, col. 3 “in this place, here; to this place; in this world”
अर्हसि arhasi · you ought (present, 2nd person singular) Dictionary: arh, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 93, col. 3 “arhasi, 2. sg. with an Inf. is often used as a softened form of Imper.”

1 printing differs

Edition differences. Another printing or text reads this place differently.

The printed edition reads: तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्यांकार्यव्यवस्थितौ ।
ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि ॥ The print shows an anusvara beside the reph over the first र्या (कार्यांकार्य…, leaf n234); read as a stray sort and not shown, because kāryākārya ('what should and should not be done') has no nasal and both proofreading references read कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ.

Bhagavad Gita 16.24: meaning and translation

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