Bhagavad Gita 4.16 Meaning: Kim karma kimakarmeti

Bhagavad Gita 4.16

किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः ।तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् ॥

Kim karma kimakarmeti kavayopyatra mohitahTatte karma pravakshyami yajjnatva mokshyaseshubhat

kiṃ karma kimakarmeti kavayo’pyatra mohitāḥ |tatte karma pravakṣyāmi yajjñātvā mokṣyase’śubhāt ||

How to read these English letters (IAST)

Our explanation What is action, and what is inaction? Even the wise are confused about this, Krishna says. So he will explain action to Arjuna; knowing it, Arjuna will be freed from what is harmful (aśubha).

हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण कहते हैं कि कर्म क्या है और अकर्म क्या है, इस पर बुद्धिमान लोग भी भ्रम में पड़ जाते हैं। इसलिए वे अर्जुन को कर्म का स्वरूप बताएँगे, जिसे जानकर अर्जुन अशुभ (बंधन) से छूट जाएँगे।

Word by word

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Word by word

किम् kim · what (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: kim, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 282, col. 2 “what? how? whence? wherefore? why?”
कर्म karma · action (noun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 258, col. 2 “act, action, performance, business”
किम् kim · what (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: kim, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 282, col. 2 “what? how? whence? wherefore? why?”
अकर्म akarma · inaction (noun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: a-karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 2, col. 1 “absence of work”
इति iti · thus (ends the question) (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. iti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 165, col. 1 “in this manner, thus”
कवयः kavayaḥ · the wise (noun (masculine), nominative plural) Dictionary: kavi, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 264, col. 2 “gifted with insight, intelligent, knowing, enlightened, wise”
अपि api · even (indeclinable) Dictionary: api, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 55, col. 1 “in the sense of even, also, very”
अत्र atra · here, in this (indeclinable) Dictionary: 1. a-tra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 17, col. 2 “in this matter, in this respect; in this place, here”
मोहिताः mohitāḥ · confused (past participle (masculine), nominative plural) Dictionary: mohita, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 836, col. 2 “stupefied, bewildered, infatuated, deluded”
तत् tat · that (pronoun (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: tad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 434, col. 1 “m. he, f. she, n. it, that, this”
ते te · to you (pronoun, dative singular) Dictionary: 2. tva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 463, col. 2 “base of the 2nd personal pron.”
कर्म karma · action (noun (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 258, col. 2 “act, action, performance, business”
प्रवक्ष्यामि pravakṣyāmi · will explain (future, 1st person singular) Dictionary: pra-vac, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 690, col. 1 “to proclaim, announce, praise, commend, mention, teach, impart, explain”
यत् yat · which (pronoun (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
ज्ञात्वा jñātvā · having known (absolutive (having done)) Dictionary: 1. jñā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 425, col. 3 “to know, have knowledge, become acquainted with”
मोक्ष्यसे mokṣyase · you will be freed (future, 2nd person singular) Dictionary: 2. muc, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 820, col. 3 “to be loosed, to be set free or released”
अशुभात् aśubhāt · from what is harmful (noun (neuter), ablative singular) Dictionary: a-śubha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 113, col. 3 “a shameful deed, sin”

Bhagavad Gita 4.16: meaning and translation

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