Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय ६) / 6.2
6.2
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
महोदधिरिवाहं स प्रपञ्चो वीचिसन्निभः ।
इति ज्ञानं तथैतस्य न त्यागो न ग्रहो लयः mahodadhir ivāhaṃ sa prapañco vīcisannibhaḥ |
iti jñānaṃ tathaitasya na tyāgo na graho layaḥ
The line
I am like the great ocean. That display is like a wave. Such is the knowledge. So for this there is no abandonment, no grasping, no dissolution.
नेपालीमा
म त्यो महान् समुद्रझैँ हुँ। प्रपञ्च लहरजस्तो हो। यस्तो ज्ञान हो। यसको त्याग छैन, ग्रहण छैन, लय छैन।
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. The ocean and the wave replace space and the pot, and the refrain stands.
Split: mahodadhiḥ (महोदधिः) + iva (इव) + aham (अहम्) + saḥ (सः) + prapañcaḥ (प्रपञ्चः) + vīcisannibhaḥ (वीचिसन्निभः) + iti (इति) + jñānam (ज्ञानम्) + tathā (तथा) + etasya (एतस्य) + na (न) + tyāgaḥ (त्यागः) + na (न) + grahaḥ (ग्रहः) + layaḥ (लयः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| mahodadhiḥ (महोदधिः) | nominative singular, masculine | the great ocean. Recited mahodadhir (महोदधिर्) before i (इ). |
| iva (इव) | indeclinable | like. Joined to aham (अहम्) as ivāham (इवाहम्). |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| saḥ (सः) | nominative singular, masculine | that. Recited sa (स) before p (प्). |
| prapañcaḥ (प्रपञ्चः) | nominative singular, masculine | the display. Recited prapañco (प्रपञ्चो) before v (व्). |
| vīcisannibhaḥ (वीचिसन्निभः) | nominative singular, masculine | similar to a wave. Agrees with prapañcaḥ (प्रपञ्चः). |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | thus. |
| jñānam (ज्ञानम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the knowledge. |
| tathā (तथा) | indeclinable | so. |
| etasya (एतस्य) | genitive singular, neuter | of this. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| tyāgaḥ (त्यागः) | nominative singular, masculine | abandonment. Recited tyāgo (त्यागो) before n (न्). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| grahaḥ (ग्रहः) | nominative singular, masculine | grasping. Recited graho (ग्रहो) before l (ल्). |
| layaḥ (लयः) | nominative singular, masculine | dissolution. |
The phrases
aham is likened to mahodadhiḥ (महोदधिः). saḥ (सः) prapañcaḥ (प्रपञ्चः), qualified by vīcisannibhaḥ (वीचिसन्निभः), is the second claim inside iti. The refrain from jñānam (ज्ञानम्) through layaḥ (लयः) is the same syntax as the line before.
Sanskrit in this line
mahodadhiḥ (महोदधिः) before iva is mahodadhir, and iva plus aham is ivāham (इवाहम्). saḥ (सः) before p loses the visarga. prapañcaḥ (प्रपञ्चः) before v is prapañco (प्रपञ्चो).
Say it back
What is the display compared with?