Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka asks (अध्याय १) / 1.11
1.11
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
मुक्ताभिमानी मुक्तो हि बद्धो बद्धाभिमान्यपि ।
किंवदन्तीह सत्येयं या मतिः सा गतिर् भवेत् muktābhimānī mukto hi baddho baddhābhimāny api |
kiṃvadantīha satyeyaṃ yā matiḥ sā gatir bhavet
The line
One who holds the conceit of being free is free. One who holds the conceit of being bound is bound as well. This saying here is true. As the conviction is, so the course would be.
नेपालीमा
मुक्त छु भन्ने अभिमानी मुक्त हुन्छ, बद्ध छु भन्ने पनि बद्ध हुन्छ। यो उक्ति सत्य हो। जस्तो मति, त्यस्तै गति हुनेछ।
Where it sits
Aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) is still speaking. The conceit named earlier is now said to decide freedom and bondage.
Split: muktābhimānī (मुक्ताभिमानी) + muktaḥ (मुक्तः) + hi (हि) + baddhaḥ (बद्धः) + baddhābhimānī (बद्धाभिमानी) + api (अपि) + kiṃvadantī (किंवदन्ती) + iha (इह) + satyā (सत्या) + iyam (इयम्) + yā (या) + matiḥ (मतिः) + sā (सा) + gatiḥ (गतिः) + bhavet (भवेत्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| muktābhimānī (मुक्ताभिमानी) | nominative singular, masculine | one who holds the conceit of being free. mukta (मुक्त) is free. abhimānin (अभिमानिन्) is one who holds a conceit. |
| muktaḥ (मुक्तः) | nominative singular, masculine | free. Recited mukto (मुक्तो) before hi (हि). |
| hi (हि) | indeclinable | indeed. |
| baddhaḥ (बद्धः) | nominative singular, masculine | bound. Recited baddho (बद्धो) before baddhābhimānī (बद्धाभिमानी). |
| baddhābhimānī (बद्धाभिमानी) | nominative singular, masculine | one who holds the conceit of being bound. |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | also, even. |
| kiṃvadantī (किंवदन्ती) | nominative singular, feminine | the saying, what people say. |
| iha (इह) | indeclinable | here. |
| satyā (सत्या) | nominative singular, feminine | true. Agrees with kiṃvadantī (किंवदन्ती). |
| iyam (इयम्) | nominative singular, feminine | this. |
| yā (या) | nominative singular, feminine | which. |
| matiḥ (मतिः) | nominative singular, feminine | conviction, mind. |
| sā (सा) | nominative singular, feminine | that. |
| gatiḥ (गतिः) | nominative singular, feminine | course, way of going. Recited gatir (गतिर्) before bhavet (भवेत्). |
| bhavet (भवेत्) | optative third person singular | would become. From bhū (भू). |
The phrases
muktābhimānī (मुक्ताभिमानी) is muktaḥ (मुक्तः), and baddhābhimānī (बद्धाभिमानी) is baddhaḥ (बद्धः). api (अपि) adds the second pair. kiṃvadantī iyam (किंवदन्ती इयम्) is satyā (सत्या). The correlative yā matiḥ (या मतिः) and sā gatiḥ (सा गतिः) share bhavet (भवेत्).
Sanskrit in this line
baddhābhimānī (बद्धाभिमानी) plus api is baddhābhimāny (बद्धाभिमान्य्) api, because ī (ई) plus a becomes y. satyā (सत्या) plus iyam is satyeyam. kiṃvadantī (किंवदन्ती) plus iha is kiṃvadantīha (किंवदन्तीह). gatiḥ (गतिः) before bhavet is gatir.
Say it back
What does the saying say follows the conviction?