Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Translated by
Michael Douglas Neely
proficiency in the Sanskrit language while feeling the
excitement of actually reading and comprehending the
The Translator and the hagavad Gita and then translating the
Sanskrit of the B
Sanskrit into English. In addition to the Bhagavad
Translation Gita, I have started some translation work on the
I am a mostly self-taught Sanskrit enthusiast. I went to Brihat Jataka and the principal Upanishads.
a Sanskrit presentation at a yoga studio sometime in
the late 1990s. That was my first exposure to any I am not a Sanskrit professor nor do I claim to be an
structured Sanskrit class. The studio arranged a expert in the Sanskrit language. Various translations
second follow-up class, but no one showed up, except of the Isha Upanishad, Sanskrit primers and
me. I took that as an omen. In 2003 I took two textbooks, and the Academic Room Sanskrit-English
Sanskrit workshops that emphasized learning the Dictionary app were consulted during this translation.
Sanskrit alphabet and some noun declensions and verb In particular, I consulted the Isha Upanishad by
conjunctions. In 2005 I was able to find a Sanskrit Stephanie Simoes and The Upanishads by Vernon
mentor to teach me Sanskrit until about mid-2006. Katz and Thomas Egenes, for clarification and
From mid-2006 to mid-2007 I continued my Sanskrit guidance in my own translation. For grammatical
studies and Sanskrit to English translations. You can references, I relied heavily on the Sanskrit primer
see my translation work during that time period and Devavanipravesika by Robert and Sally Goldman,
my current work on my academia.edu profile: Sanskrit Grammar by William Dwight Whitney, A
https://independent.academia.edu/MichaelNeely Vedic Grammar for Students by Arthur Anthony
In mid-2007 I lost interest in studying Sanskrit and Macdonell, the Sanskrit Reference Manual by
stopped studying it. In 2014 my interest in Sanskrit William Bucknell, and the app just mentioned in
was rekindled. I felt a calling to come back to it and making sure I understood the Sanskrit underlying the
started reviewing various Sanskrit primers and translation.
textbooks.
In my prose translations, I tried to be as literal as
In July 2015 I felt confident enough to start translating possible, not adding anything to the translation that
the Bhagavad Gita in order continue increasing my was not in the original Sanskrit text. For each verse
translated, I show the Sanskrit devanagari text, the
transliteration of the Sanskrit in English (IAST
format), and the English translation I created. After Outline of Main Concepts
that, I broke down each word of the Sanskrit text into
(listed as they appear in the text)
its pre-sandhi form and listed the various grammatical
identifiers of each word.
Tamas, having a quality of darkness, heaviness and Starting with this concept is a shift toward talking
the demonical, is said to envelope these asurya about the opposing qualities to tamas. The one
worlds. Tamas has deep meaning in the culture of this when unmoving is described as being quicker than the
text. It is part of a trinity of qualities, the other two mind, where the gods cannot reach, one that passes by
qualities being sattva and rajas. Sattva has an those who run away. Furthermore, it is said to move
equilibrium quality; whereas, rajas has a volitional and not move and to be interior and exterior to
one. everything. The texts seems to imply that this one
unmoving is omnipresent.
Killing the Atman
More cryptically, the texts states a Mtarivan
grants actions standing in that. Mtarivan can be a
Those who kill the tman approach these asurya mystic name of Agni, which is associated with
worlds. The word, tman, has many possible initiation of action.
meanings that include soul, self, supreme soul, and
nature. I believe this statement is alluding to the living
beings who disregard the nature of the soul in a
lifetime and ultimately return to the asurya worlds
dominated by tamas.
The Self in All and the All in the Self Ignorance and Knowledge
The concept of absolute inclusiveness is depicted by With this concept, the text compares degrees of tamas
one who can behold the self in all beings and all in a dualist manner and then states how that one or
beings in the self, not wanting to be judgemental. And it is other than the particular dualistic qualities
furthermore, when all beings have become the self of being compared.
the wise person, no delusion or sorrow is possible in
this one pointed inclusiveness. The concepts of ignorance and knowledge take up
three of the eighteen verses. They state that
Then, that self is said to circumambulate around the knowledge will take one into a greater tamas than
bodiless, the unblemished, the one without ignorance will. The text goes on to state it is other
sinews, the bright, and joined with the non-evil. than ignorance or knowledge. And then advises, that
one who knows both knowledge and ignorance will
cross over death through ignorance and reach
Supported Aims immortality through knowledge.
Ignorance Knowledge
I am That
Death Immortality The text then states the suns most beautiful form is
purusha, which in this context would seem to indicate
Unmanifest Manifest that it is the soul. The sun and soul correspondence is
common in esoteric texts. The author, and ultimately
all mankind, states that he/she is that purusha, and
thus all of us are a soul at our essence.
Recollection as a Vehicle for Wisdom
12. They who reach blinding tamas, they sit near 18. O Agni, lead us by a good path to wealth! O deity,
non-existence. And into greater tamas, as it were, are the one who knows all paths, separate that deceitful
those who are delighted in manifestation. acting in sin from us. May we offer the most abundant
words of praise to you.
13. We have heard, Indeed, it is other than the
manifest, they said. It is other than the unmanifest,
they said. Those who are wise proclaimed that to us.
adas (stem form: adas) (pronoun, neuter, nominative, pram (9th class verb root: p) (past passive
singular) = that participle, neuter, nominative, singular) = fullness
pram (9th class verb root: p) (past passive eva (indeclinable) = indeed (emphatic particle that
participle, neuter, nominative, singular) = fullness emphasizes the preceding word)
dhanam (neuter, accusative, singular) = wealth Indeed, doing actions here, one should desire to live a
hundred years. Thus, in you there is no other way.
Hence, action is not stained in a person.
kurvan (8th class verb root: k) (present participle, anyath (adverb) (indeclinable) = otherwise
parasmaipada, masculine, nominative, singular) =
doing itas (adverb) (indeclinable) = hence
eva (indeclinable) = indeed (emphatic particle that asti (2nd class verb root: as) (present indicative,
emphasizes the preceding word) parasmaipada, 3rd person, singular) = you is
te (stem form: tad) (pronoun, 3rd person, masculine,
3 nominative, plural) = those
asury nma te lok andhena tamasvt loks (stem form: loka) (masculine, nominative,
plural) = worlds
tmste pretybhigacchanti ye ke ctmahano jan
andhena (stem form: andha) (masculine/neuter,
3 instrumental, singular) = by blindness
dadhti 4
javyas (stem form: javyas) (neuter, nominative, anyn (stem form: anya) (pronominal adjective,
singular) = quicker masculine, accusative, plural) = others
na (negative particle) (indeclinable) = not atyeti (2nd class verb root: at) (present indicative,
parasmaipada, 3rd person, singular) = passes by
enat (stem form: ena) (pronoun, neuter, accusative,
singular) = that tihat (1st class verb root: sth) (present participle,
parasmaipada, neuter, nominative, singular) =
devs (stem form: deva) (masculine, nominative, standing
plural) = the gods
tasmin (stem form: tad) (pronoun, neuter, locative,
pnuvan (5th class verb root: p) (imperfect, singular) = in that
parasmaipada, 3rd person, plural) = they have
reached apas (stem form: apas) (neuter, accusative, singular) =
action
prvam (neuter, accusative, singular) = the former
mtariv (stem form: mtarivan) (masculine,
nominative, singular) = Mtarivan (mystic name of Verse 5
Agni)
dadhti (verb root: dh) (present indicative,
parasmaipada, 3rd person, singular) = grants
ejati (1st class verb root: ej) (present indicative, antarasya (stem form: antara) (neuter, genitive,
parasmaipada, 3rd person, singular) = moves singular) = of the interior
tat (stem form: tad) (pronoun, 3rd person, neuter, sarvasya (stem form: sarva) (pronominal adjective,
nominative, singular) = that neuter, genitive, singular) = of all
na (negative particle) (indeclinable) = not tat (stem form: tad) (pronoun, 3rd person, neuter,
nominative, singular) = that
ejati (1st class verb root: ej) (present indicative,
parasmaipada, 3rd person, singular) = moves u (expression implying antithesis) (indeclinable) =
and
tat (stem form: tad) (pronoun, 3rd person, neuter,
nominative, singular) = that sarvasya (stem form: sarva) (pronominal adjective,
masculine/neuter, genitive, singular) = of all
dre (stem form: dra) (neuter, locative, singular) = in
the distance asya (stem form: idam) (pronoun, masculine/neuter,
genitive, singular) = of this
tat (stem form: tad) (pronoun, 3rd person, neuter,
nominative, singular) = that bhyatas (adverb) (indeclinable) = exterior
sarvi (stem form: sarva) (pronominal adjective, kas (interrogative pronoun, masculine, nominative,
neuter, nominative, plural) = all singular) = what?
bhtni (1st class verb root: bh) (past passive okas (stem form: oka) (masculine, nominative,
participle, neuter, nominative, plural) = beings singular) = sorrow
tma (stem form: tman) (masculine, nominative, ekatvam (stem form: ekatva) (eka + tvam) (neuter,
singular) = the self accusative, singular) = oneness
eva (adverb) (indeclinable) = indeed (emphasizing anupayatas (anu + paya + tas) (adverb from
previous word) adverbial suffix -tas) (indeclinable) = for one who
sees
abht (1st class verb root: bh) (aorist, parasmaipada,
3rd person, singular) = have become
ythtathyatas (adverb) (indeclinable) = reality Those who sit near ignorance, they enter blinding
tamas. And those who delight in knowledge, as it
arthn (stem form: artha) (masculine, accusative, were, enter greater tamas.
plural) = aims
eva (emphatic particle that emphasizes the preceding ye (stem form: yad) (relative pronoun, masculine,
word) (indeclinable) = indeed plural) = those who
hus (verb root: ah) (perfect, parasmaipada, 3rd nas (stem form: asmad) (pronoun, 1st person, dative,
person, plural) = they said plural) = to us
sambhavt (stem form: sambhava) (masculine/neuter, tat (stem form: tad) (pronoun, neuter, accusative,
ablative, singular) = than the manifest singular) = that
anyat (stem form: anya) (pronominal adjective, vicacakire (2nd class verb root: cak) (vi + cacakire)
neuter, nominative, singular) = other (perfect, tmanepada, 3rd person, plural) =
proclaimed
hus (1st class verb root: ah) (perfect, parasmaipada,
3rd person, plural) = they said
yatte rpa kalyatama tatte paymi yo'svasau prjpatya (stem form: prjpatya) (masculine/neuter,
vocative, singular) = O descendant of Prajapati
purua so'hamasmi 16
vyha (1st class verb root: h) (vi + ha) (imperative,
O Pan, O solitary sage, O charioteer, O Surya, parasmaipada, 2nd person, singular) = distribute!
descendant of Prajapati, distribute your rays of light
and assemble your radiance, so that I may see that, ramn (stem form: rami) (masculine, accusative,
your most beautiful form. What that is, that is plural) = rays of light
purusha. That, I am.
samha (1st class verb root: h) (sam + ha)
(imperative, parasmaipada, 2nd person, singular) =
assemble!
te (stem form: yumad) (masculine, 2nd person, puruas (stem form: purua) (masculine, nominative,
genitive, singular) = your singular) = purusha
rpam (stem form: rpa) (masculine/neuter, sas (stem form: tad) (pronoun, masculine, nominative,
accusative, singular) = form singular) = that
kalyatamam (stem form: kalyatama) (kalya + aham (stem form: asmad) (masculine/neuter,
tamam) (superlative, neuter, accusative, singular) = nominative, singular) = I
most beautiful
asmi (2nd class verb root: as) (present indicative, 1st
tat (stem form: tad) (neuter, accusative, singular) = person, singular) = am
that
deva (stem form: deva) (masculine, vocative, namauktim (stem form: ukti) (nama + uktim)
singular) = O deity (karmadhraya compound, feminine, accusative,
singular) = words of praise
vayunni (stem form: vayuna) (neuter, accusative,
plural) = paths vidhema (6th class verb root: vidh) (optative,
parasmaipada, 1st person, plural) = let us offer
vidvn (2nd class verb root: vid) (perfect participle,
masculine, nominative, singular) = one who knows