Bhagavad Gita 18.22 Meaning: Yattu kritsnavadekasmin karye

Bhagavad Gita 18.22

यत्तु कृत्स्नवदेकस्मिन् कार्ये सक्तमहैतुकम् ।अतत्त्वार्थवदल्पं च तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥

Yattu kritsnavadekasmin karye saktamahaitukamAtattvarthavadalpam cha tattamasamudahritam

yattu kṛtsnavadekasmin kārye saktamahaitukam |atattvārthavadalpaṃ ca tattāmasamudāhṛtam ||

How to read these English letters (IAST)

Our explanation Krishna says that the knowledge which clings to one single thing as if it were the whole, without reason, without grasping the truth, and narrow, is called knowledge of the nature of tamas.

हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण कहते हैं कि जो ज्ञान किसी एक ही वस्तु में ऐसे चिपका रहता है मानो वही सब कुछ हो, बिना कारण के, तत्त्व को समझे बिना, और जो तुच्छ है, वह तामस कहा गया है।

Word by word

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Word by word

यत् yat · which (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
तु tu · but (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. tu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 449, col. 3 “but”
कृत्स्नवत् kṛtsnavat · as if it were the whole (indeclinable) Dictionary: kṛtsna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 304, col. 3 “all, whole, entire”; 1. vat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 915, col. 2 “added to words to imply likeness or resemblance, and generally translatable by ‘as,’ ‘like’”
एकस्मिन् ekasmin · to one (adjective (neuter), locative singular) Dictionary: eka, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 227, col. 3 “one”
कार्ये kārye · thing to be done, effect (noun (neuter), locative singular) Dictionary: kārya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 276, col. 1 “an effect, result”
सक्तम् saktam · clinging (past participle (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: sakta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1132, col. 3 “clinging or adhering to, sticking in”
अहैतुकम् ahaitukam · without reason (adjective (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: a-haituka, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 125, col. 3 “causeless”
अतत्त्वार्थवत् atattvārthavat · without grasp of the truth (adjective (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: 3. a, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1, col. 1 “having a negative or privative or contrary sense”; tat-tva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 432, col. 3 “true or real state, truth, reality”; artha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 90, col. 3 “thing, object”; 1. vat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 915, col. 2 “added to words to imply likeness or resemblance, and generally translatable by ‘as,’ ‘like’”
अल्पम् alpam · small, narrow (adjective (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: alpa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 95, col. 2 “small, minute, trifling, little”
च ca · and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 “and, both, also, moreover, as well as”
तत् tat · that (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: tad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 434, col. 1 “m. he, f. she, n. it, that, this”
तामसम् tāmasam · of tamas (adjective (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: tāmasa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 442, col. 3 “appertaining to or affected by the quality tamas”
उदाहृतम् udāhṛtam · is called (past participle (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: ud-āhṛta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 185, col. 3 “said, declared, illustrated; called, named, entitled”

2 printings differ

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

Spelling A digital text reads Same letters. The 1922 edition prints एकस्मिन् कार्ये as two words.
Word A digital text reads Another digital text reads ahetukam; the edition and another digital text read अहैतुकम् (ahaitukam). The sense is the same, 'without reason'.

Reason=argument in support; real principle=truth, view of things as they are; insignificant, i. e. in comprehensiveness. ↩

Bhagavad Gita 18.22: meaning and translation

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