Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka asks (अध्याय १) / 1.3
1.3
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
न पृथ्वी न जलं नाग्निर् न वायुर् द्यौर् न वा भवान् ।
एषां साक्षिणमात्मानं चिद्रूपं विद्धि मुक्तये na pṛthvī na jalaṃ nāgnir na vāyur dyaur na vā bhavān |
eṣāṃ sākṣiṇam ātmānaṃ cidrūpaṃ viddhi muktaye
The line
You are not earth, not water, not fire, not wind, and not the sky. Know the self, the witness of these, whose form is awareness, for liberation.
नेपालीमा
तिमी पृथ्वी होइनौ, जल होइनौ, अग्नि होइनौ, वायु होइनौ, आकाश पनि होइनौ। यी सबैका साक्षी, चेतनारूपी आत्मालाई मुक्तिका लागि जान।
Where it sits
Aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) is still speaking. The negations answer the question of what one is, by saying what one is not.
Split: na (न) + pṛthvī (पृथ्वी) + na (न) + jalam (जलम्) + na (न) + agniḥ (अग्निः) + na (न) + vāyuḥ (वायुः) + dyauḥ (द्यौः) + na (न) + vā (वा) + bhavān (भवान्) + eṣām (एषाम्) + sākṣiṇam (साक्षिणम्) + ātmānam (आत्मानम्) + cidrūpam (चिद्रूपम्) + viddhi (विद्धि) + muktaye (मुक्तये)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| pṛthvī (पृथ्वी) | nominative singular, feminine | earth. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| jalam (जलम्) | nominative singular, neuter | water. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| agniḥ (अग्निः) | nominative singular, masculine | fire. Recited agnir (अग्निर्) before na (न). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| vāyuḥ (वायुः) | nominative singular, masculine | wind. Recited vāyur (वायुर्) before dyauḥ (द्यौः). |
| dyauḥ (द्यौः) | nominative singular, feminine | sky. Recited dyaur (द्यौर्) before na (न). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | or, indeed. |
| bhavān (भवान्) | nominative singular, masculine | you, the respectful you. |
| eṣām (एषाम्) | genitive plural | of these. |
| sākṣiṇam (साक्षिणम्) | accusative singular, masculine | the witness. Agrees with ātmānam (आत्मानम्). |
| ātmānam (आत्मानम्) | accusative singular, masculine | the self. |
| cidrūpam (चिद्रूपम्) | accusative singular, masculine | whose form is awareness. cit (चित्) is awareness. rūpa (रूप) is form. Agrees with ātmānam (आत्मानम्). |
| viddhi (विद्धि) | imperative second person singular | know. From vid (विद्). |
| muktaye (मुक्तये) | dative singular, feminine | for liberation. |
The phrases
Each na (न) negates one nominative, and bhavān (भवान्) is the person who is none of them. viddhi (विद्धि) takes ātmānam (आत्मानम्), and sākṣiṇam (साक्षिणम्) and cidrūpam (चिद्रूपम्) agree with it. eṣām (एषाम्) depends on sākṣiṇam (साक्षिणम्). muktaye (मुक्तये) is the purpose.
Sanskrit in this line
na plus agniḥ (अग्निः) is nāgniḥ (नाग्निः), and the visarga before na is r, so the recital is nāgnir (नाग्निर्). vāyuḥ (वायुः) before dyauḥ (द्यौः) is vāyur (वायुर्), and dyauḥ (द्यौः) before na is dyaur.
Say it back
Name the five things the respectful you is not.