Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय ५) / 5.3
5.3
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
प्रत्यक्षमप्यवस्तुत्वाद् विश्वं नास्त्यमले त्वयि ।
रज्जुसर्प इव व्यक्तमेवमेव लयं व्रज pratyakṣam apy avastutvād viśvaṃ nāsty amale tvayi |
rajjusarpa iva vyaktam evam eva layaṃ vraja
The line
The world, though before the eyes, is not in you, the stainless, because it is not a real thing. It shows like a snake on a rope. Go thus, just so, to dissolution.
नेपालीमा
प्रत्यक्ष भए पनि विश्व वस्तु नभएकाले अमल तिमीमा छैन। डोरीको सर्पझैँ प्रकट छ। यसरी नै लयमा जाऊ।
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. The rope snake is the likeness, and the command is unchanged.
Split: pratyakṣam (प्रत्यक्षम्) + api (अपि) + avastutvāt (अवस्तुत्वात्) + viśvam (विश्वम्) + na (न) + asti (अस्ति) + amale (अमले) + tvayi (त्वयि) + rajjusarpaḥ (रज्जुसर्पः) + iva (इव) + vyaktam (व्यक्तम्) + evam (एवम्) + eva (एव) + layam (लयम्) + vraja (व्रज)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| pratyakṣam (प्रत्यक्षम्) | nominative singular, neuter | before the eyes. Agrees with viśvam (विश्वम्). |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | even. Recited apy (अप्य्) before a (अ). |
| avastutvāt (अवस्तुत्वात्) | ablative singular, neuter | because it is not a real thing. Recited avastutvād (अवस्तुत्वाद्) before v (व्). |
| viśvam (विश्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the world. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. Joined with asti (अस्ति) as nāsti (नास्ति). |
| asti (अस्ति) | present third person singular | is. Recited nāsty (नास्त्य्) before a (अ). |
| amale (अमले) | locative singular, masculine | in the stainless. Agrees with tvayi (त्वयि). |
| tvayi (त्वयि) | locative singular | in you. |
| rajjusarpaḥ (रज्जुसर्पः) | nominative singular, masculine | a snake on a rope. Recited rajjusarpa (रज्जुसर्प) before i (इ). |
| iva (इव) | indeclinable | like. |
| vyaktam (व्यक्तम्) | nominative singular, neuter | manifest. Agrees with viśvam (विश्वम्). |
| evam (एवम्) | indeclinable | thus. |
| eva (एव) | indeclinable | indeed. |
| layam (लयम्) | accusative singular, masculine | dissolution. |
| vraja (व्रज) | imperative second person singular | go. |
The phrases
viśvam (विश्वम्) is the subject of na asti, conceded by pratyakṣam (प्रत्यक्षम्) api, reason avastutvāt (अवस्तुत्वात्), place amale tvayi. vyaktam agrees, manner rajjusarpaḥ (रज्जुसर्पः) iva. The command is again evam eva layam vraja.
Sanskrit in this line
api before avastu is apy. avastutvāt (अवस्तुत्वात्) before viśvam (विश्वम्) is voiced to d. na plus asti is nāsti (नास्ति), and before amale it is nāsty (नास्त्य्). The visarga of rajjusarpaḥ (रज्जुसर्पः) drops before i.
Say it back
Why is the world not in you?