Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १८) / 18.8
18.8
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
आत्मा ब्रह्मेति निश्चित्य भावाभावौ च कल्पितौ ।
निष्कामः किं विजानाति किं ब्रूते च करोति किम् ātmā brahmeti niścitya bhāvābhāvau ca kalpitau |
niṣkāmaḥ kiṃ vijānāti kiṃ brūte ca karoti kim
The line
Having settled that the self is the vast, and that being and nonbeing are both imagined, what does the one without desire know, what does he say, and what does he do?
नेपालीमा
आत्मा ब्रह्म हो र भाव र अभाव दुवै कल्पित हुन् भनी निश्चय गरेपछि निष्कामले के जान्छ, के भन्छ अनि के गर्छ?
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. Three questions share one subject, the one without desire.
Split: ātmā (आत्मा) + brahma (ब्रह्म) + iti (इति) + niścitya (निश्चित्य) + bhāvābhāvau (भावाभावौ) + ca (च) + kalpitau (कल्पितौ) + niṣkāmaḥ (निष्कामः) + kim (किम्) + vijānāti (विजानाति) + kim (किम्) + brūte (ब्रूते) + ca (च) + karoti (करोति) + kim (किम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ātmā (आत्मा) | nominative singular, masculine | the self. |
| brahma (ब्रह्म) | nominative singular, neuter | the vast. With iti (इति) recited brahmeti (ब्रह्मेति). |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | thus. |
| niścitya (निश्चित्य) | indeclinable | having settled. |
| bhāvābhāvau (भावाभावौ) | nominative dual, masculine | being and nonbeing. |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | and. |
| kalpitau (कल्पितौ) | nominative dual, masculine | both imagined. Agrees with bhāvābhāvau (भावाभावौ). |
| niṣkāmaḥ (निष्कामः) | nominative singular, masculine | the one without desire. |
| kim (किम्) | accusative singular, neuter | what. |
| vijānāti (विजानाति) | present third person singular | knows, discerns. |
| kim (किम्) | accusative singular, neuter | what. |
| brūte (ब्रूते) | present third person singular | says. |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | and. |
| karoti (करोति) | present third person singular | does. |
| kim (किम्) | accusative singular, neuter | what. |
The phrases
niścitya (निश्चित्य) governs two settlements: ātmā (आत्मा) is brahma, and bhāvābhāvau (भावाभावौ) are kalpitau. niṣkāmaḥ (निष्कामः) is then the subject of vijānāti (विजानाति), brūte (ब्रूते), and karoti. Each kim is the object of one verb.
Sanskrit in this line
brahma iti is brahmeti. The three kim before consonants are anusvara, and the last kim ends in m.
Say it back
What dual thing is called imagined?