Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka asks (अध्याय १) / 1.9
1.9
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
एको विशुद्धबोधोऽहमिति निश्चयवह्निना ।
प्रज्वाल्याज्ञानगहनं वीतशोकः सुखी भव eko viśuddhabodho 'ham iti niścayavahninā |
prajvālyājñānagahanaṃ vītaśokaḥ sukhī bhava
The line
With the fire of the certainty that I am one pure awareness, burn the thicket of unknowing. Be happy, with grief gone.
नेपालीमा
म एक शुद्ध बोध हुँ भन्ने निश्चयको आगोले अज्ञानको झाडी जलाएर शोकरहित भई सुखी होऊ।
Where it sits
Aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) is still speaking. The trust of the previous line is now a fire.
Split: ekaḥ (एकः) + viśuddhabodhaḥ (विशुद्धबोधः) + aham (अहम्) + iti (इति) + niścayavahninā (निश्चयवह्निना) + prajvālya (प्रज्वाल्य) + ajñānagahanam (अज्ञानगहनम्) + vītaśokaḥ (वीतशोकः) + sukhī (सुखी) + bhava (भव)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ekaḥ (एकः) | nominative singular, masculine | one. Recited eko (एको) before viśuddhabodhaḥ (विशुद्धबोधः). |
| viśuddhabodhaḥ (विशुद्धबोधः) | nominative singular, masculine | pure awareness. viśuddha (विशुद्ध) is pure. bodha (बोध) is awareness. Recited viśuddhabodho (विशुद्धबोधो) before aham (अहम्). |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | thus. |
| niścayavahninā (निश्चयवह्निना) | instrumental singular, masculine | by the fire of certainty. niścaya (निश्चय) is certainty. vahni (वह्नि) is fire. |
| prajvālya (प्रज्वाल्य) | absolutive | having set blazing. pra (प्र) plus jval (ज्वल्). |
| ajñānagahanam (अज्ञानगहनम्) | accusative singular, neuter | the thicket of unknowing. ajñāna (अज्ञान) is unknowing. gahana (गहन) is a thicket. |
| vītaśokaḥ (वीतशोकः) | nominative singular, masculine | one whose grief has gone. vīta (वीत) is gone. śoka (शोक) is grief. |
| sukhī (सुखी) | nominative singular, masculine | happy. |
| bhava (भव) | imperative second person singular | be. |
The phrases
ekaḥ viśuddhabodhaḥ aham iti (एकः विशुद्धबोधः अहमिति) is the content of niścaya (निश्चय). The instrumental is the means of prajvālya (प्रज्वाल्य), whose object is ajñānagahanam (अज्ञानगहनम्). bhava (भव) takes vītaśokaḥ (वीतशोकः) and sukhī (सुखी).
Sanskrit in this line
viśuddhabodhaḥ (विशुद्धबोधः) plus aham is viśuddhabodho (विशुद्धबोधो) 'ham. prajvālya (प्रज्वाल्य) plus ajñānagahanam (अज्ञानगहनम्) is prajvālyājñānagahanam (प्रज्वाल्याज्ञानगहनम्), because a plus a is ā (आ).
Say it back
What is burned, and by what?