Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १८) / 18.3
18.3
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
कर्तव्यदुःखमार्तण्डज्वालादग्धान्तरात्मनः ।
कुतः प्रशमपीयूषधारासारमृते सुखम् kartavyaduḥkhamārtaṇḍajvālādagdhāntarātmanaḥ |
kutaḥ praśamapīyūṣadhārāsāram ṛte sukham
The line
From where is ease, for one whose inner self is burned by the sun flame of the pain of duty, without the torrent of the nectar of peace?
नेपालीमा
कर्तव्यको दुःखरूपी सूर्यको ज्वालाले भित्री आत्मा जलेकोलाई प्रशमको अमृतधारा बिना सुख कहाँबाट आउँछ?
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. Duty's pain is figured as a sun, and peace as nectar.
Split: kartavyaduḥkhamārtaṇḍajvālādagdhāntarātmanaḥ (कर्तव्यदुःखमार्तण्डज्वालादग्धान्तरात्मनः) + kutaḥ (कुतः) + praśamapīyūṣadhārāsāram (प्रशमपीयूषधारासारम्) + ṛte (ऋते) + sukham (सुखम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| kartavyaduḥkhamārtaṇḍajvālādagdhāntarātmanaḥ (कर्तव्यदुःखमार्तण्डज्वालादग्धान्तरात्मनः) | genitive singular, masculine | of one whose inner self is burned by the flame of the sun that is the pain of duty. |
| kutaḥ (कुतः) | indeclinable | from where. |
| praśamapīyūṣadhārāsāram (प्रशमपीयूषधारासारम्) | accusative singular, masculine | the torrent of the nectar of peace. |
| ṛte (ऋते) | indeclinable | without. Governs that accusative. |
| sukham (सुखम्) | nominative singular, neuter | ease. |
The phrases
sukham is the nominative kutaḥ (कुतः) asks after. The genitive compound says for whom. ṛte (ऋते) takes praśamapīyūṣadhārāsāram (प्रशमपीयूषधारासारम्) as the thing whose absence blocks the ease.
Sanskrit in this line
dagdha antarātmanaḥ (अन्तरात्मनः) is dagdhāntarātmanaḥ (दग्धान्तरात्मनः) inside the compound. dhārāsāram (धारासारम्) before ṛte (ऋते) keeps m, dhārāsāram (धारासारम्) ṛte (ऋते).
Say it back
Without what is ease asked after in vain?