Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय १३) / 13.1
13.1
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
अकिञ्चनभवं स्वास्थ्यं कौपीनत्वेऽपि दुर्लभम् ।
त्यागादाने विहायास्मादहमासे यथासुखम् akiñcanabhavaṃ svāsthyaṃ kaupīnatve 'pi durlabham |
tyāgādāne vihāyāsmād aham āse yathāsukham
The line
Ease, the condition of having nothing, is hard to gain even in the state of a loincloth. Having left leaving and taking, therefore I sit at ease.
नेपालीमा
केही नहुनुको चैन कौपीनको अवस्थामा पनि दुर्लभ छ। त्यसैले त्याग र ग्रहण छोडेर म सुखसँग बस्छु।
Where it sits
Janaka speaks. janaka uvāca (उवाच) is printed before the verse and is not numbered. Chapter 13 opens on sitting at ease, the line the chapter repeats.
Split: akiñcanabhavam (अकिञ्चनभवम्) + svāsthyam (स्वास्थ्यम्) + kaupīnatve (कौपीनत्वे) + api (अपि) + durlabham (दुर्लभम्) + tyāgādāne (त्यागादाने) + vihāya (विहाय) + asmāt (अस्मात्) + aham (अहम्) + āse (आसे) + yathā (यथा) + sukham (सुखम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| akiñcanabhavam (अकिञ्चनभवम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the condition of having nothing. Read from bhavam (भवम्). Agrees with svāsthyam (स्वास्थ्यम्). |
| svāsthyam (स्वास्थ्यम्) | nominative singular, neuter | ease in one's own being. Subject, with durlabham (दुर्लभम्). |
| kaupīnatve (कौपीनत्वे) | locative singular, neuter | in the state of a loincloth. Recited kaupīnatve (कौपीनत्वे) with avagraha before api (अपि). |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | even. |
| durlabham (दुर्लभम्) | nominative singular, neuter | hard to gain. Agrees with svāsthyam (स्वास्थ्यम्). |
| tyāgādāne (त्यागादाने) | accusative dual, neuter | leaving and taking. Read from ādāne (आदाने). Object of vihāya (विहाय). |
| vihāya (विहाय) | absolutive | having left. From vi (वि) and hā (हा). Recited vihāyāsmāt (विहायास्मात्) with asmāt (अस्मात्). |
| asmāt (अस्मात्) | ablative singular, neuter | from this, therefore. Recited asmād (अस्माद्) before aham (अहम्). |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. Joined to āse (आसे). |
| āse (आसे) | present first person singular | I sit. From ās (आस्). |
| yathā (यथा) | indeclinable | in the way that. Recited inside yathāsukham (यथासुखम्). |
| sukham (सुखम्) | accusative singular, neuter | ease. With yathā (यथा). |
The phrases
svāsthyam (स्वास्थ्यम्) is akiñcanabhavam (अकिञ्चनभवम्) and durlabham (दुर्लभम्), even kaupīnatve (कौपीनत्वे). vihāya (विहाय) takes tyāgādāne (त्यागादाने), and asmāt (अस्मात्) leads to aham (अहम्) āse (आसे). yathā (यथा) sukham (सुखम्) is the manner.
Sanskrit in this line
kaupīnatve (कौपीनत्वे) plus api (अपि) keeps the avagraha, kaupīnatve (कौपीनत्वे) 'pi (ऽपि). vihāya (विहाय) plus asmāt (अस्मात्) is vihāyāsmāt (विहायास्मात्), and asmāt (अस्मात्) before aham (अहम्) is asmād (अस्माद्), the consonant taking the vowel. aham (अहम्) plus āse (आसे) joins m (म्) to ā (आ). yathā (यथा) plus sukham (सुखम्) is yathāsukham (यथासुखम्).
Say it back
What is hard to gain even with a loincloth, and what pair has he left?