Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २) / 2.1
2.1
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
अहो निरञ्जनः शान्तो बोधोऽहं प्रकृतेः परः ।
एतावन्तमहं कालं मोहेनैव विडम्बितः aho nirañjanaḥ śānto bodho 'haṃ prakṛteḥ paraḥ |
etāvantam ahaṃ kālaṃ mohenaiva viḍambitaḥ
The line
Ah, I am stainless, at peace, awareness beyond nature. For this whole stretch of time I have been mocked by confusion alone.
नेपालीमा
अहो, म दागरहित, शान्त, प्रकृतिभन्दा पर रहेको बोध हुँ। यत्तिका बेलासम्म म मोहले नै विडम्बित भएँ।
Where it sits
Janaka speaks. janaka uvāca (उवाच) is printed before the verse and is not numbered. He takes up the names he has just been given.
Split: aho (अहो) + nirañjanaḥ (निरञ्जनः) + śāntaḥ (शान्तः) + bodhaḥ (बोधः) + aham (अहम्) + prakṛteḥ (प्रकृतेः) + paraḥ (परः) + etāvantam (एतावन्तम्) + aham (अहम्) + kālam (कालम्) + mohena (मोहेन) + eva (एव) + viḍambitaḥ (विडम्बितः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| aho (अहो) | indeclinable | ah. |
| nirañjanaḥ (निरञ्जनः) | nominative singular, masculine | without stain. |
| śāntaḥ (शान्तः) | nominative singular, masculine | at peace. Recited śānto (शान्तो) before bodhaḥ (बोधः). |
| bodhaḥ (बोधः) | nominative singular, masculine | awareness. Recited bodho (बोधो) before aham (अहम्). |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| prakṛteḥ (प्रकृतेः) | ablative singular, feminine | from nature, beyond nature. |
| paraḥ (परः) | nominative singular, masculine | beyond. Construed with prakṛteḥ (प्रकृतेः). |
| etāvantam (एतावन्तम्) | accusative singular, masculine | of this extent. Agrees with kālam (कालम्). |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| kālam (कालम्) | accusative singular, masculine | time. |
| mohena (मोहेन) | instrumental singular, masculine | by confusion. |
| eva (एव) | indeclinable | alone, indeed. |
| viḍambitaḥ (विडम्बितः) | nominative singular, masculine | mocked, played as a puppet. |
The phrases
aham (अहम्) is nirañjanaḥ (निरञ्जनः), śāntaḥ (शान्तः), and bodhaḥ (बोधः), and paraḥ (परः) of prakṛteḥ (प्रकृतेः). The second aham (अहम्) is viḍambitaḥ (विडम्बितः). etāvantam kālam (एतावन्तम् कालम्) is the length of time, and mohena (मोहेन) is the instrument.
Sanskrit in this line
bodhaḥ (बोधः) plus aham is bodho 'ham. mohena plus eva is mohenaiva. etāvantam (एतावन्तम्) plus aham joins m to the vowel.
Say it back
What was he for all that time, and by what?