Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २) / 2.4
2.4
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
यथा न तोयतो भिन्नास् तरङ्गाः फेनबुद्बुदाः ।
आत्मनो न तथा भिन्नं विश्वमात्मविनिर्गतम् yathā na toyato bhinnās taraṅgāḥ phenabudbudāḥ |
ātmano na tathā bhinnaṃ viśvam ātmavinirgatam
The line
As waves, foam, and bubbles are not divided from water, so the world that has come forth from the self is not divided from the self.
नेपालीमा
जसरी छाल, फेन र फोका जलबाट भिन्न हुँदैनन्, त्यसै गरी आत्माबाट निस्केको विश्व आत्माबाट भिन्न होइन।
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. The abandoned world is now said not to be other than the self.
Split: yathā (यथा) + na (न) + toyataḥ (तोयतः) + bhinnāḥ (भिन्नाः) + taraṅgāḥ (तरङ्गाः) + phenabudbudāḥ (फेनबुद्बुदाः) + ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः) + na (न) + tathā (तथा) + bhinnam (भिन्नम्) + viśvam (विश्वम्) + ātmavinirgatam (आत्मविनिर्गतम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| yathā (यथा) | indeclinable | just as. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| toyataḥ (तोयतः) | ablative singular, neuter | from water. Recited toyato (तोयतो) before bhinnāḥ (भिन्नाः). |
| bhinnāḥ (भिन्नाः) | nominative plural, masculine | divided. Recited bhinnās (भिन्नास्) before taraṅgāḥ (तरङ्गाः). |
| taraṅgāḥ (तरङ्गाः) | nominative plural, masculine | waves. |
| phenabudbudāḥ (फेनबुद्बुदाः) | nominative plural, masculine | foam and bubbles. phena (फेन) is foam. budbuda (बुद्बुद) is a bubble. |
| ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः) | ablative singular, masculine | from the self. Recited ātmano (आत्मनो) before na (न). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| tathā (तथा) | indeclinable | so. |
| bhinnam (भिन्नम्) | nominative singular, neuter | divided. Agrees with viśvam (विश्वम्). |
| viśvam (विश्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the world. |
| ātmavinirgatam (आत्मविनिर्गतम्) | nominative singular, neuter | come forth from the self. Agrees with viśvam (विश्वम्). |
The phrases
yathā (यथा) and tathā (तथा) pair the pictures. taraṅgāḥ (तरङ्गाः) and phenabudbudāḥ (फेनबुद्बुदाः) are na bhinnāḥ (न भिन्नाः) from toyataḥ (तोयतः). viśvam (विश्वम्) is na bhinnam (न भिन्नम्) from ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः), and ātmavinirgatam (आत्मविनिर्गतम्) agrees with it.
Sanskrit in this line
toyataḥ (तोयतः) before bhinnāḥ (भिन्नाः) is toyato. bhinnāḥ (भिन्नाः) before taraṅgāḥ (तरङ्गाः) is bhinnās (भिन्नास्), because visarga before t becomes s. ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः) before na is ātmano (आत्मनो).
Say it back
From what are the waves not divided, and from what is the world not divided?