Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka asks (अध्याय १) / 1.1
1.1
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
कथं ज्ञानमवाप्नोति कथं मुक्तिर् भविष्यति ।
वैराग्यं च कथं प्राप्तमेतद् ब्रूहि मम प्रभो kathaṃ jñānam avāpnoti kathaṃ muktir bhaviṣyati |
vairāgyaṃ ca kathaṃ prāptam etad brūhi mama prabho
The line
How is knowledge gained? How will liberation come to be? And how is dispassion gained? Tell me this, my lord.
नेपालीमा
ज्ञान कसरी पाइन्छ? मुक्ति कसरी हुनेछ? अनि वैराग्य कसरी पाइन्छ? हे प्रभो, मलाई यो भन्नुहोस्।
Where it sits
Janaka speaks. janaka uvāca (उवाच) is printed before the verse and is not numbered. The book opens on these three questions.
Split: katham (कथम्) + jñānam (ज्ञानम्) + avāpnoti (अवाप्नोति) + katham (कथम्) + muktiḥ (मुक्तिः) + bhaviṣyati (भविष्यति) + vairāgyam (वैराग्यम्) + ca (च) + katham (कथम्) + prāptam (प्राप्तम्) + etad (एतद्) + brūhi (ब्रूहि) + mama (मम) + prabho (प्रभो)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| katham (कथम्) | indeclinable | how? |
| jñānam (ज्ञानम्) | nominative singular, neuter | knowledge. |
| avāpnoti (अवाप्नोति) | present third person singular | obtains. ava (अव) plus āp (आप्), to reach. |
| katham (कथम्) | indeclinable | how? |
| muktiḥ (मुक्तिः) | nominative singular, feminine | liberation. Recited muktir (मुक्तिर्) before b (ब्). |
| bhaviṣyati (भविष्यति) | future third person singular | will come to be. From bhū (भू). |
| vairāgyam (वैराग्यम्) | nominative singular, neuter | dispassion. |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | and. |
| katham (कथम्) | indeclinable | how? |
| prāptam (प्राप्तम्) | nominative singular, neuter | gained. Agrees with vairāgyam (वैराग्यम्). |
| etad (एतद्) | accusative singular, neuter | this. |
| brūhi (ब्रूहि) | imperative second person singular | say. From brū (ब्रू). |
| mama (मम) | genitive singular | of me. |
| prabho (प्रभो) | vocative singular, masculine | O lord. |
The phrases
Three questions, then the imperative brūhi (ब्रूहि). etad (एतद्) is the thing to be told. mama prabho (मम प्रभो) is the address.
Sanskrit in this line
jñānam (ज्ञानम्) avāpnoti (अवाप्नोति) is recited as one run. muktiḥ (मुक्तिः) before b is muktir. This edition reads avāpnoti (अवाप्नोति).
Say it back
Name the three questions.