Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २) / 2.16
2.16
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
द्वैतमूलमहो दुःखं नान्यत् तस्याऽस्ति भेषजम् ।
दृश्यमेतन् मृषा सर्वमेकोऽहं चिद्रसोमलः dvaitamūlam aho duḥkhaṃ nānyat tasyā 'sti bheṣajam |
dṛśyam etan mṛṣā sarvam eko 'haṃ cidrasomalaḥ
The line
Ah, pain has duality as its root. There is no other remedy for it. All this seen world is false. I am one, the stainless taste of awareness.
नेपालीमा
अहो, दुःखको मूल द्वैत हो। त्यसको अर्को औषधि छैन। यो देखिने सबै मिथ्या हो। म एक, चेतनाको रस, निर्मल हुँ।
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. Pain is traced to duality, and the seen is called false.
Split: dvaitamūlam (द्वैतमूलम्) + aho (अहो) + duḥkham (दुःखम्) + na (न) + anyat (अन्यत्) + tasya (तस्य) + asti (अस्ति) + bheṣajam (भेषजम्) + dṛśyam (दृश्यम्) + etat (एतत्) + mṛṣā (मृषा) + sarvam (सर्वम्) + ekaḥ (एकः) + aham (अहम्) + cidrasaḥ (चिद्रसः) + amalaḥ (अमलः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| dvaitamūlam (द्वैतमूलम्) | nominative singular, neuter | having duality as its root. dvaita (द्वैत) is duality. mūla (मूल) is a root. Agrees with duḥkham (दुःखम्). |
| aho (अहो) | indeclinable | ah. |
| duḥkham (दुःखम्) | nominative singular, neuter | pain. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| anyat (अन्यत्) | nominative singular, neuter | another. |
| tasya (तस्य) | genitive singular, neuter | of that. |
| asti (अस्ति) | present third person singular | is. |
| bheṣajam (भेषजम्) | nominative singular, neuter | a remedy. |
| dṛśyam (दृश्यम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the seen. |
| etat (एतत्) | nominative singular, neuter | this. Agrees with dṛśyam (दृश्यम्). Recited etan (एतन्) before mṛṣā (मृषा). |
| mṛṣā (मृषा) | indeclinable | as a falsehood. |
| sarvam (सर्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | all. Agrees with dṛśyam (दृश्यम्). |
| ekaḥ (एकः) | nominative singular, masculine | one. Recited eko (एको) before aham (अहम्). |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| cidrasaḥ (चिद्रसः) | nominative singular, masculine | the taste of awareness. cit (चित्) is awareness. rasa (रस) is taste, essence. |
| amalaḥ (अमलः) | nominative singular, masculine | without stain. |
The phrases
duḥkham (दुःखम्) is dvaitamūlam (द्वैतमूलम्). bheṣajam (भेषजम्) of tasya (तस्य) is na anyat (न अन्यत्). dṛśyam etat sarvam (दृश्यमेतत् सर्वम्) is mṛṣā (मृषा). aham (अहम्) is ekaḥ (एकः), cidrasaḥ (चिद्रसः), and amalaḥ (अमलः).
Sanskrit in this line
na plus anyat is nānyat (नान्यत्). tasya plus asti is tasyā (तस्या) 'sti, with the avagraha. etat before mṛṣā (मृषा) is etan. cidrasaḥ (चिद्रसः) plus amalaḥ (अमलः) is recited cidrasomalaḥ (चिद्रसोमलः): visarga before a becomes o, and this edition does not print the avagraha.
Say it back
What is the root of pain, and what is its remedy?