Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २) / 2.9
2.9
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
अहो विकल्पितं विश्वमज्ञानान् मयि भासते ।
रूप्यं शुक्तौ फणी रज्जौ वारि सूर्यकरे यथा aho vikalpitaṃ viśvam ajñānān mayi bhāsate |
rūpyaṃ śuktau phaṇī rajjau vāri sūryakare yathā
The line
Ah, the imagined world appears in me from unknowing, as silver in mother of pearl, a hooded snake in a rope, water in a ray of the sun.
नेपालीमा
अहो, अज्ञानले विकल्पित विश्व ममा चम्कन्छ, जसरी सिपीमा चाँदी, डोरीमा फणावाल सर्प र सूर्यकिरणमा पानी चम्कन्छ।
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. Three comparisons sit under the one claim about the world in him.
Split: aho (अहो) + vikalpitam (विकल्पितम्) + viśvam (विश्वम्) + ajñānāt (अज्ञानात्) + mayi (मयि) + bhāsate (भासते) + rūpyam (रूप्यम्) + śuktau (शुक्तौ) + phaṇī (फणी) + rajjau (रज्जौ) + vāri (वारि) + sūryakare (सूर्यकरे) + yathā (यथा)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| aho (अहो) | indeclinable | ah. |
| vikalpitam (विकल्पितम्) | nominative singular, neuter | constructed as an alternative, imagined. Agrees with viśvam (विश्वम्). |
| viśvam (विश्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the world. |
| ajñānāt (अज्ञानात्) | ablative singular, neuter | from unknowing. Recited ajñānān (अज्ञानान्) before mayi (मयि). |
| mayi (मयि) | locative singular | in me. |
| bhāsate (भासते) | present third person singular | appears. |
| rūpyam (रूप्यम्) | nominative singular, neuter | silver. |
| śuktau (शुक्तौ) | locative singular, feminine | in mother of pearl. |
| phaṇī (फणी) | nominative singular, masculine | a hooded snake. |
| rajjau (रज्जौ) | locative singular, feminine | in a rope. |
| vāri (वारि) | nominative singular, neuter | water. |
| sūryakare (सूर्यकरे) | locative singular, masculine | in a ray of the sun. sūrya (सूर्य) is the sun. kara (कर) is a ray. |
| yathā (यथा) | indeclinable | just as. |
The phrases
viśvam (विश्वम्) is vikalpitam (विकल्पितम्) and bhāsate (भासते) in mayi (मयि) from ajñānāt (अज्ञानात्). yathā (यथा) introduces three pairs: rūpyam (रूप्यम्) in śuktau (शुक्तौ), phaṇī (फणी) in rajjau (रज्जौ), vāri (वारि) in sūryakare (सूर्यकरे).
Sanskrit in this line
ajñānāt (अज्ञानात्) before mayi is ajñānān (अज्ञानान्), because t before m becomes n.
Say it back
Name the three places and the three things that appear there.