Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय ३) / 3.12
3.12
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
निःस्पृहं मानसं यस्य नैराश्येऽपि महात्मनः ।
तस्यात्मज्ञानतृप्तस्य तुलना केन जायते niḥspṛhaṃ mānasaṃ yasya nairāśye 'pi mahātmanaḥ |
tasyātmajñānatṛptasya tulanā kena jāyate
The line
Of the great one whose mind is without longing even when hope is gone, who is content in knowledge of the self, with whom does a comparison arise?
नेपालीमा
जसको मन आशा नहुँदा पनि निःस्पृह छ, त्यो महात्मा आत्मज्ञानले तृप्त छ। उसको तुलना कसँग हुन्छ?
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. The line closes the description by refusing a comparison.
Split: niḥspṛham (निःस्पृहम्) + mānasam (मानसम्) + yasya (यस्य) + nairāśye (नैराश्ये) + api (अपि) + mahātmanaḥ (महात्मनः) + tasya (तस्य) + ātmajñānatṛptasya (आत्मज्ञानतृप्तस्य) + tulanā (तुलना) + kena (केन) + jāyate (जायते)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| niḥspṛham (निःस्पृहम्) | nominative singular, neuter | without longing. Agrees with mānasam (मानसम्). |
| mānasam (मानसम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the mind. |
| yasya (यस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | of whom. |
| nairāśye (नैराश्ये) | locative singular, neuter | in the absence of hope. |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | even. |
| mahātmanaḥ (महात्मनः) | genitive singular, masculine | of the great one. Agrees with yasya (यस्य). |
| tasya (तस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | of him. Answers yasya (यस्य). |
| ātmajñānatṛptasya (आत्मज्ञानतृप्तस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | of one content in knowledge of the self. Agrees with tasya (तस्य). |
| tulanā (तुलना) | nominative singular, feminine | a comparison. |
| kena (केन) | instrumental singular, masculine | with whom. |
| jāyate (जायते) | present third person singular | arises. From jan (जन्). |
The phrases
yasya is picked up by tasya. niḥspṛham (निःस्पृहम्) agrees with mānasam (मानसम्), and api puts that mind in nairāśye (नैराश्ये). tulanā (तुलना) is the subject of jāyate (जायते), kena the instrument.
Sanskrit in this line
nairāśye (नैराश्ये) before api keeps the avagraha. tasya joined to ātma (आत्म) is tasyātma (तस्यात्म).
Say it back
With whom is the comparison supposed to be made?