न यावत्सममभ्यस्तौ ज्ञानसत्पुरुषक्रमौ । एकोऽपि नैतयोस्तात पुरुषस्येह सिद्ध्यति ॥ ९ ॥
na yāvatsamamabhyastau jñānasatpuruṣakramau | ēkō’pi naitayōstāta puruṣasyēha siddhyati || 9 ||
Translation
As long as knowledge and the conduct of the good are not practised together, dear one, not even one of the two succeeds for a man here.
Word by word
- na
- not
- yāvat
- as long as
- samam
- together
- abhyastau
- are practised
- jñāna
- knowledge
- satpuruṣa
- of the good
- kramau
- and the conduct
- ēkō
- (ekaḥ) one
- api
- even
- ētayōs
- (etayoḥ) of the two
- tāta
- dear one
- puruṣasya
- for a man
- iha
- here
- siddhyati
- succeeds
Meaning
The commentary: as long as knowledge and good conduct are not both practised well, not even one of them comes to fulfilment. The claim is strong. It does not say that one alone succeeds less; it says that one alone does not succeed. Knowledge without conduct stays talk, and conduct without knowledge stays habit.