Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka asks (अध्याय १) / 1.2
1.2
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
मुक्तिमिच्छसि चेत् तात विषयान् विषवत् त्यज ।
क्षमार्जवदयातोषसत्यं पीयूषवद् भज muktim icchasi cet tāta viṣayān viṣavat tyaja |
kṣamārjavadayātoṣasatyaṃ pīyūṣavad bhaja
The line
If you want liberation, dear one, abandon the objects as poison. Cultivate forbearance, straightness, tenderness, contentment, and truth as nectar.
नेपालीमा
हे तात, मुक्ति चाहन्छौ भने विषयलाई विष जस्तै त्याग। क्षमा, सरलता, दया, सन्तोष र सत्यलाई अमृत जस्तै सेव।
Where it sits
Aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) speaks. aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) uvāca (उवाच) is printed before the verse and is not numbered. The answer to the three questions begins here.
Split: muktim (मुक्तिम्) + icchasi (इच्छसि) + cet (चेत्) + tāta (तात) + viṣayān (विषयान्) + viṣavat (विषवत्) + tyaja (त्यज) + kṣamārjavadayātoṣasatyam (क्षमार्जवदयातोषसत्यम्) + pīyūṣavat (पीयूषवत्) + bhaja (भज)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| muktim (मुक्तिम्) | accusative singular, feminine | liberation. |
| icchasi (इच्छसि) | present second person singular | you want. From iṣ (इष्). |
| cet (चेत्) | indeclinable | if. Before tāta (तात) the t (त्) is written twice. |
| tāta (तात) | vocative singular, masculine | O dear one. |
| viṣayān (विषयान्) | accusative plural, masculine | objects of sense. |
| viṣavat (विषवत्) | indeclinable | like poison. viṣa (विष) is poison. vat (वत्) is like. |
| tyaja (त्यज) | imperative second person singular | abandon. From tyaj (त्यज्). |
| kṣamārjavadayātoṣasatyam (क्षमार्जवदयातोषसत्यम्) | accusative singular, neuter | forbearance, straightness, tenderness, contentment, and truth, as one. Read from the end: satya (सत्य) is truth, and it makes the compound neuter. |
| pīyūṣavat (पीयूषवत्) | indeclinable | like nectar. pīyūṣa (पीयूष) is nectar. |
| bhaja (भज) | imperative second person singular | cultivate, resort to. From bhaj (भज्). |
The phrases
cet (चेत्) sets the condition on icchasi (इच्छसि). tyaja (त्यज) takes viṣayān (विषयान्), with viṣavat (विषवत्) as the manner. bhaja (भज) takes the long compound, with pīyūṣavat (पीयूषवत्) as the manner.
Sanskrit in this line
muktim icchasi is one run. cet plus tāta (तात) is written with a doubled t. viṣavat (विषवत्) plus tyaja joins the two t sounds. pīyūṣavat (पीयूषवत्) before bhaja is pīyūṣavad (पीयूषवद्).
Say it back
What is to be abandoned, and what is to be cultivated?