Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २) / 2.11
2.11
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
अहो अहं नमो मह्यं विनाशो यस्य नास्ति मे ।
ब्रह्मादिस्तम्बपर्यन्तं जगन्नाशोऽपि तिष्ठतः aho ahaṃ namo mahyaṃ vināśo yasya nāsti me |
brahmādistambaparyantaṃ jagannāśo 'pi tiṣṭhataḥ
The line
Ah, I bow to myself, I of whom there is no destruction, who remain even when the world is destroyed from Brahmā (ब्रह्मा) down to a tuft of grass.
नेपालीमा
अहो, मलाई नमस्कार, जसको विनाश छैन। ब्रह्मादेखि तृणसम्म जगत् नाश हुँदा पनि म रहिरहन्छु।
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. The bow to himself begins a run of four verses.
Split: aho (अहो) + aham (अहम्) + namaḥ (नमः) + mahyam (मह्यम्) + vināśaḥ (विनाशः) + yasya (यस्य) + na (न) + asti (अस्ति) + me (मे) + brahmādistambaparyantam (ब्रह्मादिस्तम्बपर्यन्तम्) + jagannāśaḥ (जगन्नाशः) + api (अपि) + tiṣṭhataḥ (तिष्ठतः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| aho (अहो) | indeclinable | ah. |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| namaḥ (नमः) | indeclinable | homage, a bow. Recited namo (नमो) before mahyam (मह्यम्). |
| mahyam (मह्यम्) | dative singular | to me. |
| vināśaḥ (विनाशः) | nominative singular, masculine | destruction. Recited vināśo (विनाशो) before yasya (यस्य). |
| yasya (यस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | of whom. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| asti (अस्ति) | present third person singular | is. From as (अस्). |
| me (मे) | genitive singular | of me. |
| brahmādistambaparyantam (ब्रह्मादिस्तम्बपर्यन्तम्) | accusative singular, neuter | as far as from Brahmā (ब्रह्मा) down to a tuft of grass. brahman (ब्रह्मन्) here is Brahmā (ब्रह्मा). ādi (आदि) is beginning. stamba (स्तम्ब) is a tuft. paryanta (पर्यन्त) is the limit. |
| jagannāśaḥ (जगन्नाशः) | nominative singular, masculine | destruction of the world. jagat (जगत्) plus nāśa (नाश). Recited jagannāśo (जगन्नाशो) before api (अपि). |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | even. |
| tiṣṭhataḥ (तिष्ठतः) | genitive singular, masculine | of one who remains. Present participle of sthā (स्था). |
The phrases
namaḥ mahyam (नमः मह्यम्) is the bow. yasya (यस्य) and me (मे) and tiṣṭhataḥ (तिष्ठतः) are the same genitive: of me, of whom there is no vināśaḥ (विनाशः), who remain even at jagannāśaḥ (जगन्नाशः). The long compound is the extent of that destruction.
Sanskrit in this line
na plus asti is nāsti (नास्ति). jagat plus nāśa (नाश) inside the compound is jagannāśa (जगन्नाश). jagannāśaḥ (जगन्नाशः) plus api is jagannāśo (जगन्नाशो) 'pi.
Say it back
Whose destruction is denied, and at whose destruction does he remain?