Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १८) / 18.15
18.15
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
येन विश्वमिदं दृष्टं स नास्तीति करोतु वै ।
निर्वासनः किं कुरुते पश्यन्नपि न पश्यति yena viśvam idaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ sa nāstīti karotu vai |
nirvāsanaḥ kiṃ kurute paśyann api na paśyati
The line
Let him bring about the thought that the one by whom this world was seen does not exist. What does the one without latent wishes do? Even while seeing, he does not see.
नेपालीमा
जसले यो विश्व देख्यो, उसले त्यो छैन भन्ने भावना गरोस्। निर्वासनले के गर्छ? हेर्दाहेर्दै पनि हेर्दैन।
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. An imperative about the seer is followed by a question about the one without latent wishes.
Split: yena (येन) + viśvam (विश्वम्) + idam (इदम्) + dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्) + saḥ (सः) + na (न) + asti (अस्ति) + iti (इति) + karotu (करोतु) + vai (वै) + nirvāsanaḥ (निर्वासनः) + kim (किम्) + kurute (कुरुते) + paśyan (पश्यन्) + api (अपि) + na (न) + paśyati (पश्यति)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| yena (येन) | instrumental singular, masculine | by whom. |
| viśvam (विश्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the world. |
| idam (इदम्) | nominative singular, neuter | this. Agrees with viśvam (विश्वम्). |
| dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्) | nominative singular, neuter | seen. Agrees with viśvam (विश्वम्). |
| saḥ (सः) | nominative singular, masculine | he. Recited sa (स) before n (न्), visarga dropped. Correlates with yena (येन). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. With asti (अस्ति) recited nāsti (नास्ति). |
| asti (अस्ति) | present third person singular | is. With iti (इति) recited astīti (अस्तीति). |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | thus. |
| karotu (करोतु) | imperative third person singular | let him do. |
| vai (वै) | indeclinable | indeed. |
| nirvāsanaḥ (निर्वासनः) | nominative singular, masculine | one without latent wishes. |
| kim (किम्) | accusative singular, neuter | what. |
| kurute (कुरुते) | present third person singular | does. |
| paśyan (पश्यन्) | nominative singular, masculine | seeing. The n (न्) doubles before api (अपि). |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | even. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| paśyati (पश्यति) | present third person singular | sees. |
The phrases
yena correlates with saḥ (सः). viśvam (विश्वम्) idam dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्) is what that one saw. iti closes saḥ (सः) na asti as what karotu should effect. nirvāsanaḥ (निर्वासनः) is then the subject of kim kurute and of na paśyati (पश्यति), with paśyan (पश्यन्) api beside the denial.
Sanskrit in this line
na asti iti is nāstīti (नास्तीति). saḥ (सः) before na drops the visarga. paśyan (पश्यन्) api is paśyann (पश्यन्न्) api.
Say it back
What does he not do even while seeing?