Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २) / 2.22
2.22
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
नाहं देहो न मे देहो जीवो नाहमहं हि चित् ।
अयमेव हि मे बन्ध आसीद् या जीविते स्पृहा nāhaṃ deho na me deho jīvo nāham ahaṃ hi cit |
ayam eva hi me bandha āsīd yā jīvite spṛhā
The line
I am not the body. The body is not mine. I am not the living one. I am awareness. This alone was my bond: the longing in life.
नेपालीमा
म देह होइन, देह मेरो होइन, म जीव होइन, म चेतना हुँ। जीवनमा भएको स्पृहा नै मेरो बन्धन थियो।
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. The bond, earlier denied, is remembered as a past longing.
Split: na (न) + aham (अहम्) + dehaḥ (देहः) + na (न) + me (मे) + dehaḥ (देहः) + jīvaḥ (जीवः) + na (न) + aham (अहम्) + aham (अहम्) + hi (हि) + cit (चित्) + ayam (अयम्) + eva (एव) + hi (हि) + me (मे) + bandhaḥ (बन्धः) + āsīt (आसीत्) + yā (या) + jīvite (जीविते) + spṛhā (स्पृहा)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| dehaḥ (देहः) | nominative singular, masculine | the body. Recited deho (देहो) before na (न). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| me (मे) | genitive singular | my. |
| dehaḥ (देहः) | nominative singular, masculine | the body. Recited deho (देहो) before jīvaḥ (जीवः). |
| jīvaḥ (जीवः) | nominative singular, masculine | the living one. Recited jīvo (जीवो) before na (न). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| hi (हि) | indeclinable | indeed. |
| cit (चित्) | nominative singular, feminine | awareness. |
| ayam (अयम्) | nominative singular, masculine | this. |
| eva (एव) | indeclinable | alone. |
| hi (हि) | indeclinable | for. |
| me (मे) | genitive singular | my. |
| bandhaḥ (बन्धः) | nominative singular, masculine | bond. The visarga drops before āsīt (आसीत्). |
| āsīt (आसीत्) | imperfect third person singular | was. From as (अस्). Recited āsīd (आसीद्) before yā (या). |
| yā (या) | nominative singular, feminine | which. |
| jīvite (जीविते) | locative singular, neuter | in life. |
| spṛhā (स्पृहा) | nominative singular, feminine | longing. |
The phrases
Three denials: aham (अहम्) is na dehaḥ (न देहः), dehaḥ (देहः) is na me (न मे), aham (अहम्) is na jīvaḥ (न जीवः). The positive is aham cit (अहम् चित्). bandhaḥ (बन्धः) is what āsīt (आसीत्), and yā spṛhā (या स्पृहा) in jīvite (जीविते) is that bond.
Sanskrit in this line
na plus aham is nāham (नाहम्), twice. bandhaḥ (बन्धः) before āsīt (आसीत्) loses the visarga. āsīt (आसीत्) before yā (या) is āsīd (आसीद्), and āsīd (आसीद्) yā (या) is written as one run.
Say it back
What was the bond?