Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २) / 2.13
2.13
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
अहो अहं नमो मह्यं दक्षो नास्तीह मत्समः ।
असंस्पृश्य शरीरेण येन विश्वं चिरं धृतम् aho ahaṃ namo mahyaṃ dakṣo nāstīha matsamaḥ |
asaṃspṛśya śarīreṇa yena viśvaṃ ciraṃ dhṛtam
The line
Ah, I bow to myself. There is no able one here equal to me, by whom the world has long been held without the body touching it.
नेपालीमा
अहो, मलाई नमस्कार। यहाँ म जस्तो दक्ष कोही छैन, जसले शरीरले नछोई विश्वलाई लामो काल धानेको छ।
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. The third bow is about an equal, and there is none.
Split: aho (अहो) + aham (अहम्) + namaḥ (नमः) + mahyam (मह्यम्) + dakṣaḥ (दक्षः) + na (न) + asti (अस्ति) + iha (इह) + matsamaḥ (मत्समः) + asaṃspṛśya (असंस्पृश्य) + śarīreṇa (शरीरेण) + yena (येन) + viśvam (विश्वम्) + ciram (चिरम्) + dhṛtam (धृतम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| aho (अहो) | indeclinable | ah. |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| namaḥ (नमः) | indeclinable | homage. Recited namo (नमो) before mahyam (मह्यम्). |
| mahyam (मह्यम्) | dative singular | to me. |
| dakṣaḥ (दक्षः) | nominative singular, masculine | an able one. Recited dakṣo (दक्षो) before na (न). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| asti (अस्ति) | present third person singular | is. |
| iha (इह) | indeclinable | here. |
| matsamaḥ (मत्समः) | nominative singular, masculine | equal to me. mat (मत्) is me. sama (सम) is equal. |
| asaṃspṛśya (असंस्पृश्य) | absolutive | without touching. a (अ) plus sam (सम्) plus spṛś (स्पृश्). |
| śarīreṇa (शरीरेण) | instrumental singular, neuter | by the body. |
| yena (येन) | instrumental singular, masculine | by whom. |
| viśvam (विश्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the world. |
| ciram (चिरम्) | accusative singular, neuter | for a long time. |
| dhṛtam (धृतम्) | nominative singular, neuter | held. Agrees with viśvam (विश्वम्). |
The phrases
dakṣaḥ matsamaḥ (दक्षः मत्समः) is the subject of na asti (न अस्ति), located iha (इह). yena (येन) is that able one. viśvam (विश्वम्) is dhṛtam (धृतम्) for ciram (चिरम्), with asaṃspṛśya śarīreṇa (असंस्पृश्य शरीरेण) as the manner.
Sanskrit in this line
na plus asti plus iha is nāstīha (नास्तीह). viśvam (विश्वम्) before ciraṃ (चिरं) is written with anusvara.
Say it back
What has been held, and without what touching it?