Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १५) / 15.13
15.13
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
एकस्मिन्नव्यये शान्ते चिदाकाशेऽमले त्वयि ।
कुतो जन्म कुतो कर्म कुतोऽहङ्कार एव च ekasminn avyaye śānte cidākāśe 'male tvayi |
kuto janma kuto karma kuto 'haṅkāra eva ca
The line
In you, the one, unchanging, quiet, stainless space of awareness, from where is birth, from where is action, and from where indeed is the sense of I?
नेपालीमा
एक, अव्यय, शान्त, निर्मल चिदाकाशरूपी तिमीमा जन्म कहाँबाट, कर्म कहाँबाट र अहङ्कार नै कहाँबाट हुन्छ?
Where it sits
Aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) is still speaking. Birth, action, and the sense of I are asked inside you.
Split: ekasmin (एकस्मिन्) + avyaye (अव्यये) + śānte (शान्ते) + cidākāśe (चिदाकाशे) + amale (अमले) + tvayi (त्वयि) + kutaḥ (कुतः) + janma (जन्म) + kutaḥ (कुतः) + karma (कर्म) + kutaḥ (कुतः) + ahaṅkāraḥ (अहङ्कारः) + eva (एव) + ca (च)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ekasmin (एकस्मिन्) | locative singular, masculine | in the one. Recited ekasminn (एकस्मिन्न्) before avyaye (अव्यये). |
| avyaye (अव्यये) | locative singular, masculine | in the unchanging. Agrees with tvayi (त्वयि). |
| śānte (शान्ते) | locative singular, masculine | in the quiet. Agrees with tvayi (त्वयि). |
| cidākāśe (चिदाकाशे) | locative singular, masculine | in the space of awareness. Read from ākāśe (आकाशे). Recited with avagraha before amale (अमले). |
| amale (अमले) | locative singular, masculine | in the stainless. Agrees with tvayi (त्वयि). |
| tvayi (त्वयि) | locative singular | in you. The locatives agree with this. |
| kutaḥ (कुतः) | indeclinable | from where? Recited kuto (कुतो) before janma (जन्म). |
| janma (जन्म) | nominative singular, neuter | birth. |
| kutaḥ (कुतः) | indeclinable | from where? Recited kuto (कुतो) before karma (कर्म). |
| karma (कर्म) | nominative singular, neuter | action. |
| kutaḥ (कुतः) | indeclinable | from where? Recited kuto (कुतो) with avagraha before ahaṅkāraḥ (अहङ्कारः). |
| ahaṅkāraḥ (अहङ्कारः) | nominative singular, masculine | the sense of I. The visarga is dropped before eva (एव). |
| eva (एव) | indeclinable | indeed. |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | and. |
The phrases
All the locatives agree with tvayi (त्वयि). Three kutaḥ (कुतः) question janma (जन्म), karma (कर्म), and ahaṅkāraḥ (अहङ्कारः).
Sanskrit in this line
ekasmin (एकस्मिन्) before avyaye (अव्यये) doubles the n (न्). cidākāśe (चिदाकाशे) plus amale (अमले) is cidākāśe (चिदाकाशे) 'male (ऽमले). kutaḥ (कुतः) before a voiced consonant is kuto (कुतो), and kutaḥ (कुतः) plus ahaṅkāraḥ (अहङ्कारः) is kuto (कुतो) 'haṅkāra (ऽहङ्कार), the visarga of ahaṅkāraḥ (अहङ्कारः) then dropping before eva (एव).
Say it back
In whom are birth, action, and the sense of I questioned?