Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय ३) / 3.3
3.3
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
विश्वं स्फुरति यत्रेदं तरङ्गा इव सागरे ।
सोऽहमस्मीति विज्ञाय किं दीन इव धावसि viśvaṃ sphurati yatredaṃ taraṅgā iva sāgare |
so 'ham asmīti vijñāya kiṃ dīna iva dhāvasi
The line
This world flashes where it flashes, like waves in the ocean. Having known 'I am that,' why do you run like one who is wretched?
नेपालीमा
यो विश्व जहाँ छालझैँ सागरमा चम्कन्छ, त्यो म हुँ भनी जानिसकेपछि दीनझैँ किन दौडन्छौ?
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. The claim inside the verse is the one Janaka was brought to, and the question is why the running remains.
Split: viśvam (विश्वम्) + sphurati (स्फुरति) + yatra (यत्र) + idam (इदम्) + taraṅgāḥ (तरङ्गाः) + iva (इव) + sāgare (सागरे) + saḥ (सः) + aham (अहम्) + asmi (अस्मि) + iti (इति) + vijñāya (विज्ञाय) + kim (किम्) + dīnaḥ (दीनः) + iva (इव) + dhāvasi (धावसि)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| viśvam (विश्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the world. |
| sphurati (स्फुरति) | present third person singular | flashes. From sphur (स्फुर्). |
| yatra (यत्र) | indeclinable | where. |
| idam (इदम्) | nominative singular, neuter | this. Agrees with viśvam (विश्वम्). |
| taraṅgāḥ (तरङ्गाः) | nominative plural, masculine | waves. Recited taraṅgā (तरङ्गा) before i (इ). |
| iva (इव) | indeclinable | like. |
| sāgare (सागरे) | locative singular, masculine | in the ocean. |
| saḥ (सः) | nominative singular, masculine | that. Recited so (सो) before the avagraha. |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| asmi (अस्मि) | present first person singular | am. From as (अस्). Joined to iti (इति) as asmīti (अस्मीति). |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | thus. |
| vijñāya (विज्ञाय) | absolutive | having known. |
| kim (किम्) | indeclinable | why? |
| dīnaḥ (दीनः) | nominative singular, masculine | wretched. Recited dīna (दीन) before i (इ). |
| iva (इव) | indeclinable | like. |
| dhāvasi (धावसि) | present second person singular | you run. From dhāv (धाव्). |
The phrases
yatra idam viśvam (विश्वम्) sphurati is the place named by saḥ (सः). aham asmi is the claim inside iti, and vijñāya (विज्ञाय) governs that claim. kim asks the point of dhāvasi (धावसि), with dīnaḥ (दीनः) iva as the manner.
Sanskrit in this line
saḥ (सः) before aham is so with the avagraha. aham before asmi is one run, and asmi before iti is asmīti (अस्मीति). The visarga of taraṅgāḥ (तरङ्गाः) and of dīnaḥ (दीनः) drops before i.
Say it back
What has he known before the question about running?