Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २) / 2.7
2.7
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
आत्माज्ञानाज् जगद् भाति आत्मज्ञानान् न भासते ।
रज्ज्वज्ञानादहिर् भाति तज्ज्ञानाद् भासते न हि ātmājñānāj jagad bhāti ātmajñānān na bhāsate |
rajjvajñānād ahir bhāti tajjñānād bhāsate na hi
The line
From unknowing of the self the world appears. From knowing of the self it does not appear. From unknowing of the rope a snake appears. From knowledge of that it does not appear.
नेपालीमा
आत्माको अज्ञानले जगत् चम्कन्छ, आत्माको ज्ञानले चम्कँदैन। डोरीको अज्ञानले सर्प चम्कन्छ, त्यसको ज्ञानले चम्कँदैन।
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. The rope and the snake return, now as his own sentence.
Split: ātmājñānāt (आत्माज्ञानात्) + jagat (जगत्) + bhāti (भाति) + ātmajñānāt (आत्मज्ञानात्) + na (न) + bhāsate (भासते) + rajjvajñānāt (रज्ज्वज्ञानात्) + ahiḥ (अहिः) + bhāti (भाति) + tajjñānāt (तज्ज्ञानात्) + bhāsate (भासते) + na (न) + hi (हि)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ātmājñānāt (आत्माज्ञानात्) | ablative singular, neuter | from unknowing of the self. ātman (आत्मन्) plus ajñāna (अज्ञान). Recited ātmājñānāj (आत्माज्ञानाज्) before jagat (जगत्). |
| jagat (जगत्) | nominative singular, neuter | the world. Recited jagad (जगद्) before bhāti (भाति). |
| bhāti (भाति) | present third person singular | appears. |
| ātmajñānāt (आत्मज्ञानात्) | ablative singular, neuter | from knowing of the self. ātman (आत्मन्) plus jñāna (ज्ञान). Recited ātmajñānān (आत्मज्ञानान्) before na (न). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| bhāsate (भासते) | present third person singular | appears, shines. From bhās (भास्). |
| rajjvajñānāt (रज्ज्वज्ञानात्) | ablative singular, neuter | from unknowing of the rope. rajju (रज्जु) plus ajñāna (अज्ञान). Inside the compound u (उ) plus a (अ) is va (व). Recited rajjvajñānād (रज्ज्वज्ञानाद्) before ahiḥ (अहिः). |
| ahiḥ (अहिः) | nominative singular, masculine | a snake. Recited ahir (अहिर्) before bhāti (भाति). |
| bhāti (भाति) | present third person singular | appears. |
| tajjñānāt (तज्ज्ञानात्) | ablative singular, neuter | from knowledge of that. tat (तत्) plus jñāna (ज्ञान). Inside the compound t (त्) plus j (ज्) is jj (ज्ज्). Recited tajjñānād (तज्ज्ञानाद्) before bhāsate (भासते). |
| bhāsate (भासते) | present third person singular | appears. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| hi (हि) | indeclinable | indeed. |
The phrases
Two parallel pairs. jagat bhāti (जगत् भाति) from ātmājñānāt (आत्माज्ञानात्), and it does na bhāsate (न भासते) from ātmajñānāt (आत्मज्ञानात्). ahiḥ bhāti (अहिः भाति) from rajjvajñānāt (रज्ज्वज्ञानात्), and it does na bhāsate (न भासते) from tajjñānāt (तज्ज्ञानात्).
Sanskrit in this line
ātmājñānāt (आत्माज्ञानात्) before jagat is ātmājñānāj (आत्माज्ञानाज्), and jagat before bhāti (भाति) is jagad. ātmajñānāt (आत्मज्ञानात्) before na is ātmajñānān (आत्मज्ञानान्). The rope compound is rajjvajñānāt (रज्ज्वज्ञानात्), with short a from u plus a, not a long vowel.
Say it back
When does the world appear, and when does it not?