Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १८) / 18.9
18.9
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
अयं सोऽहमयं नाहमिति क्षीणा विकल्पना ।
सर्वमात्मेति निश्चित्य तूष्णीम्भूतस्य योगिनः ayaṃ so 'ham ayaṃ nāham iti kṣīṇā vikalpanā |
sarvam ātmeti niścitya tūṣṇīmbhūtasya yoginaḥ
The line
The imagining 'this I am, this I am not' has dwindled for the yogin who, having settled that all is the self, has become silent.
नेपालीमा
सबै आत्मा हो भनी निश्चय गरेर मौन भएको योगीको यो म हुँ, यो म होइन भन्ने विकल्पना क्षीण भएको छ।
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. The verse is a genitive picture of the yogin gone silent.
Split: ayam (अयम्) + saḥ (सः) + aham (अहम्) + ayam (अयम्) + na (न) + aham (अहम्) + iti (इति) + kṣīṇā (क्षीणा) + vikalpanā (विकल्पना) + sarvam (सर्वम्) + ātmā (आत्मा) + iti (इति) + niścitya (निश्चित्य) + tūṣṇīmbhūtasya (तूष्णीम्भूतस्य) + yoginaḥ (योगिनः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ayam (अयम्) | nominative singular, masculine | this. |
| saḥ (सः) | nominative singular, masculine | he. Recited so (सो) before the avagraha. |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| ayam (अयम्) | nominative singular, masculine | this. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. With aham (अहम्) recited nāham (नाहम्). |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | thus. It closes both claims. |
| kṣīṇā (क्षीणा) | nominative singular, feminine | dwindled. Agrees with vikalpanā (विकल्पना). |
| vikalpanā (विकल्पना) | nominative singular, feminine | imagining. |
| sarvam (सर्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | all. |
| ātmā (आत्मा) | nominative singular, masculine | the self. With iti (इति) recited ātmeti (आत्मेति). |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | thus. |
| niścitya (निश्चित्य) | indeclinable | having settled. |
| tūṣṇīmbhūtasya (तूष्णीम्भूतस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | of one who has become silent. |
| yoginaḥ (योगिनः) | genitive singular, masculine | of the yogin. Agrees with tūṣṇīmbhūtasya (तूष्णीम्भूतस्य). |
The phrases
iti closes ayam saḥ (सः) aham and ayam na aham as the content of vikalpanā (विकल्पना), which kṣīṇā (क्षीणा) describes. niścitya (निश्चित्य) belongs to yoginaḥ (योगिनः). sarvam ātmā (आत्मा) iti is what was settled. The genitive names whose imagining has dwindled.
Sanskrit in this line
saḥ (सः) aham is so 'ham, and aham ayam keeps m. na aham is nāham (नाहम्). ātmā (आत्मा) iti is ātmeti (आत्मेति). tūṣṇīm (तूष्णीम्) bhūtasya (भूतस्य) keeps the anusvara.
Say it back
Which imagining has dwindled?