Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2/Verse 67

इन्द्रियाणां हि चरतां यन्मनोऽनु विधीयते ।
तदस्य हरति प्रज्ञां वायुर्नावमिवाम्भसि ॥२- ६७॥

indriyāṇāṃ hi caratāṃ yanmano'nu vidhīyate ।
tadasya harati prajñāṃ vāyurnāvamivāmbhasi ॥2- 67॥

Indeed, the moving about of the senses, which the mind is led. That carries away one's wisdom like the wind [carries away] a boat on the water. 


Word-for-word translation

indriyāṇām (neuter, genitive, plural) = of the senses 

hi (adverb) (indeclinable) = indeed

caratām (present participle) (masculine, genitive, plural) = moving about

yad (relative pronoun) (neuter, nominative, singular) = which

manas (neuter, nominative, singular) = mind

anu (indeclinable) = following

vidhīyate (present passive, 3rd person, singular) = it is guided 

tad (correlative pronoun) (neuter, nominative, singular) = that

asya (pronoun, masculine, genitive, singular) = one's

harati (present tense, 3rd person, singular)= it carries away

prajñām (feminine, accusative, singular) = wisdom 

vāyus (masculine, nominative, singular) = wind

nāvam (feminine, accusative, singular) = boat

iva (indeclinable) = like

ambhasi (neuter, locative, singular) = on the water


Commentary

My translation is a bit different from previous translations in that I really stick to the literal syntax of the verse. Most other translations ignore or modify some of the syntax to focus on making a smoother sounding verse in English. 

The indeclinable prefix "anu" meaning "following" and the verb "vidhīyate" meaning "it is guided" conveys a sense of being "led".  

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