Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka asks (अध्याय १) / 1.17
1.17
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
निरपेक्षो निर्विकारो निर्भरः शीतलाशयः ।
अगाधबुद्धिरक्षुब्धो भव चिन्मात्रवासनः nirapekṣo nirvikāro nirbharaḥ śītalāśayaḥ |
agādhabuddhir akṣubdho bhava cinmātravāsanaḥ
The line
Be without expectation, without change, without a burden, of cool disposition, of unfathomable awareness, unshaken, one whose inclination is awareness alone.
नेपालीमा
आशारहित, विकाररहित, भाररहित, शीतल मनको होऊ। अथाह बुद्धिको, अक्षुब्ध होऊ। चेतना मात्र वासना भएको होऊ।
Where it sits
Aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) is still speaking. The predicates are the last cluster of names before the pair about form.
Split: nirapekṣaḥ (निरपेक्षः) + nirvikāraḥ (निर्विकारः) + nirbharaḥ (निर्भरः) + śītalāśayaḥ (शीतलाशयः) + agādhabuddhiḥ (अगाधबुद्धिः) + akṣubdhaḥ (अक्षुब्धः) + bhava (भव) + cinmātravāsanaḥ (चिन्मात्रवासनः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| nirapekṣaḥ (निरपेक्षः) | nominative singular, masculine | without expectation. Recited nirapekṣo (निरपेक्षो) before nirvikāraḥ (निर्विकारः). |
| nirvikāraḥ (निर्विकारः) | nominative singular, masculine | without change. Recited nirvikāro (निर्विकारो) before nirbharaḥ (निर्भरः). |
| nirbharaḥ (निर्भरः) | nominative singular, masculine | without a burden, not leaning on another. |
| śītalāśayaḥ (शीतलाशयः) | nominative singular, masculine | one whose seat is cool. śītala (शीतल) is cool. āśaya (आशय) is a seat, a disposition. |
| agādhabuddhiḥ (अगाधबुद्धिः) | nominative singular, masculine | one whose awareness is unfathomable. agādha (अगाध) is unfathomable. buddhi (बुद्धि) is awareness. Recited agādhabuddhir (अगाधबुद्धिर्) before akṣubdhaḥ (अक्षुब्धः). |
| akṣubdhaḥ (अक्षुब्धः) | nominative singular, masculine | unshaken. Recited akṣubdho (अक्षुब्धो) before bhava (भव). |
| bhava (भव) | imperative second person singular | be. |
| cinmātravāsanaḥ (चिन्मात्रवासनः) | nominative singular, masculine | one whose inclination is awareness alone. cit (चित्) is awareness. mātra (मात्र) is alone. vāsanā (वासना) is an inclination. |
The phrases
There is one verb, bhava (भव). Every nominative is its predicate.
Sanskrit in this line
agādhabuddhiḥ (अगाधबुद्धिः) before a vowel is agādhabuddhir (अगाधबुद्धिर्). akṣubdhaḥ (अक्षुब्धः) before bhava is akṣubdho (अक्षुब्धो).
Say it back
List the predicates of bhava.