Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २) / 2.8
2.8
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
प्रकाशो मे निजं रूपं नातिरिक्तोऽस्म्यहं ततः ।
यदा प्रकाशते विश्वं तदाहं भास एव हि prakāśo me nijaṃ rūpaṃ nātirikto 'smy ahaṃ tataḥ |
yadā prakāśate viśvaṃ tadāhaṃ bhāsa eva hi
The line
Radiance is my own form. I am not something over and above it. When the world shines, then I am the shining itself.
नेपालीमा
प्रकाश मेरो निज रूप हो। म त्योभन्दा बढी होइन। जब विश्व प्रकाशित हुन्छ, तब म नै भास हुँ।
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. Appearance, just denied as a product of unknowing, is now his own form.
Split: prakāśaḥ (प्रकाशः) + me (मे) + nijam (निजम्) + rūpam (रूपम्) + na (न) + atiriktaḥ (अतिरिक्तः) + asmi (अस्मि) + aham (अहम्) + tataḥ (ततः) + yadā (यदा) + prakāśate (प्रकाशते) + viśvam (विश्वम्) + tadā (तदा) + aham (अहम्) + bhāsaḥ (भासः) + eva (एव) + hi (हि)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| prakāśaḥ (प्रकाशः) | nominative singular, masculine | radiance. Recited prakāśo (प्रकाशो) before me (मे). |
| me (मे) | genitive singular | my. |
| nijam (निजम्) | nominative singular, neuter | own. Agrees with rūpam (रूपम्). |
| rūpam (रूपम्) | nominative singular, neuter | form. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| atiriktaḥ (अतिरिक्तः) | nominative singular, masculine | something over and above. Recited atirikto (अतिरिक्तो) before asmi (अस्मि). |
| asmi (अस्मि) | present first person singular | I am. From as (अस्). |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| tataḥ (ततः) | indeclinable | from that, therefore. |
| yadā (यदा) | indeclinable | when. |
| prakāśate (प्रकाशते) | present third person singular | shines. |
| viśvam (विश्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the world. |
| tadā (तदा) | indeclinable | then. |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| bhāsaḥ (भासः) | nominative singular, masculine | shining, radiance. The visarga drops before eva (एव). |
| eva (एव) | indeclinable | itself, indeed. |
| hi (हि) | indeclinable | indeed. |
The phrases
prakāśaḥ (प्रकाशः) is me nijam rūpam (मे निजम् रूपम्). aham (अहम्) is na atiriktaḥ (न अतिरिक्तः) of that. yadā (यदा) and tadā (तदा) pair viśvam prakāśate (विश्वम् प्रकाशते) with aham bhāsaḥ (अहम् भासः).
Sanskrit in this line
na plus atiriktaḥ (अतिरिक्तः) is nātiriktaḥ (नातिरिक्तः). atiriktaḥ (अतिरिक्तः) plus asmi is atirikto 'smi, and asmi plus aham is asmy aham. tadā (तदा) plus aham is tadāham (तदाहम्). bhāsaḥ (भासः) before eva loses the visarga.
Say it back
When the world shines, what is he?