Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १०) / 10.8
10.8
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
कृतं न कति जन्मानि कायेन मनसा गिरा ।
दुःखमायासदं कर्म तदद्याप्युपरम्यताम् kṛtaṃ na kati janmāni kāyena manasā girā |
duḥkham āyāsadaṃ karma tad adyāpy uparamyatām
The line
For how many births has it not been done, by body, by mind, by speech? Let that action, which is pain and which gives toil, cease even today.
नेपालीमा
कति जन्मसम्म शरीरले, मनले, वाणीले कर्म गरिएन? दुःख दिने, आयास दिने त्यो कर्म आज पनि रोकियोस्।
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. Chapter 10 ends on the action ceasing even today.
Split: kṛtam (कृतम्) + na (न) + kati (कति) + janmāni (जन्मानि) + kāyena (कायेन) + manasā (मनसा) + girā (गिरा) + duḥkham (दुःखम्) + āyāsadam (आयासदम्) + karma (कर्म) + tad (तद्) + adya (अद्य) + api (अपि) + uparamyatām (उपरम्यताम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| kṛtam (कृतम्) | past participle, nominative singular, neuter | done. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| kati (कति) | indeclinable | how many. |
| janmāni (जन्मानि) | accusative plural, neuter | births. |
| kāyena (कायेन) | instrumental singular, masculine | by the body. |
| manasā (मनसा) | instrumental singular, neuter | by the mind. |
| girā (गिरा) | instrumental singular, feminine | by speech. |
| duḥkham (दुःखम्) | nominative singular, neuter | pain. Agrees with karma (कर्म). |
| āyāsadam (आयासदम्) | nominative singular, neuter | giving toil. Agrees with karma (कर्म). |
| karma (कर्म) | nominative singular, neuter | action. |
| tad (तद्) | nominative singular, neuter | that. Agrees with karma (कर्म). Recited tad (तद्) before a (अ). |
| adya (अद्य) | indeclinable | today. Joined onward as adyāpy (अद्याप्य्). |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | even. Recited apy (अप्य्) before u (उ). |
| uparamyatām (उपरम्यताम्) | passive imperative third person singular | let it cease. From upa (उप) plus ram (रम्). |
The phrases
kṛtam (कृतम्) na kati janmāni (जन्मानि) is the rhetorical count, instruments kāyena (कायेन) manasā (मनसा) girā (गिरा). karma is the subject of uparamyatām (उपरम्यताम्), described by duḥkham (दुःखम्) and āyāsadam (आयासदम्), pointed to by tad, time adya api.
Sanskrit in this line
tad plus adya plus api plus uparamyatām (उपरम्यताम्) is tad adyāpy (अद्याप्य्) uparamyatām (उपरम्यताम्). The final m of uparamyatām (उपरम्यताम्) closes the line.
Say it back
What is asked to cease?