Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २) / 2.10
2.10
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
मत्तो विनिर्गतं विश्वं मय्येव लयमेष्यति ।
मृदि कुम्भो जले वीचिः कनके कटकं यथा matto vinirgataṃ viśvaṃ mayy eva layam eṣyati |
mṛdi kumbho jale vīciḥ kanake kaṭakaṃ yathā
The line
The world that has come forth from me will go to dissolution in me alone, as a pot in clay, a wave in water, a bracelet in gold.
नेपालीमा
मबाट निस्केको विश्व ममै लीन हुनेछ, जसरी घडा माटोमा, लहर जलमा र बाला सुनमा लीन हुन्छ।
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. Coming forth is paired with going back to dissolution.
Split: mattaḥ (मत्तः) + vinirgatam (विनिर्गतम्) + viśvam (विश्वम्) + mayi (मयि) + eva (एव) + layam (लयम्) + eṣyati (एष्यति) + mṛdi (मृदि) + kumbhaḥ (कुम्भः) + jale (जले) + vīciḥ (वीचिः) + kanake (कनके) + kaṭakam (कटकम्) + yathā (यथा)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| mattaḥ (मत्तः) | ablative singular | from me. Recited matto (मत्तो) before vinirgatam (विनिर्गतम्). |
| vinirgatam (विनिर्गतम्) | nominative singular, neuter | gone forth. Agrees with viśvam (विश्वम्). |
| viśvam (विश्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the world. |
| mayi (मयि) | locative singular | in me. |
| eva (एव) | indeclinable | alone. |
| layam (लयम्) | accusative singular, masculine | dissolution. |
| eṣyati (एष्यति) | future third person singular | will go. From i (इ). |
| mṛdi (मृदि) | locative singular, feminine | in clay. |
| kumbhaḥ (कुम्भः) | nominative singular, masculine | a pot. Recited kumbho (कुम्भो) before jale (जले). |
| jale (जले) | locative singular, neuter | in water. |
| vīciḥ (वीचिः) | nominative singular, feminine | a wave. |
| kanake (कनके) | locative singular, neuter | in gold. |
| kaṭakam (कटकम्) | nominative singular, neuter | a bracelet. |
| yathā (यथा) | indeclinable | just as. |
The phrases
viśvam vinirgatam (विश्वम् विनिर्गतम्) from mattaḥ (मत्तः) is the subject of eṣyati (एष्यति), whose goal is layam (लयम्) in mayi (मयि). yathā (यथा) gives three pairs: kumbhaḥ (कुम्भः) in mṛdi (मृदि), vīciḥ (वीचिः) in jale (जले), kaṭakam (कटकम्) in kanake (कनके).
Sanskrit in this line
mattaḥ (मत्तः) before vinirgatam is matto. mayi plus eva is mayy eva, because i plus e becomes y.
Say it back
Where did the world come from, and where will it dissolve?