Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १८) / 18.16
18.16
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
येन दृष्टं परं ब्रह्म सोऽहं ब्रह्मेति चिन्तयेत् ।
किं चिन्तयति निश्चिन्तो द्वितीयं यो न पश्यति yena dṛṣṭaṃ paraṃ brahma so 'haṃ brahmeti cintayet |
kiṃ cintayati niścinto dvitīyaṃ yo na paśyati
The line
Let the one by whom the highest vast was seen think 'I am the vast.' What does the one without worry think, who does not see a second?
नेपालीमा
जसले पर ब्रह्म देख्यो, उसले म ब्रह्म हुँ भनी सोचोस्। दोस्रो नदेख्ने निश्चिन्तले के सोच्छ?
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. A permitted thought is set beside a question about the one who sees no second.
Split: yena (येन) + dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्) + param (परम्) + brahma (ब्रह्म) + saḥ (सः) + aham (अहम्) + brahma (ब्रह्म) + iti (इति) + cintayet (चिन्तयेत्) + kim (किम्) + cintayati (चिन्तयति) + niścintaḥ (निश्चिन्तः) + dvitīyam (द्वितीयम्) + yaḥ (यः) + na (न) + paśyati (पश्यति)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| yena (येन) | instrumental singular, masculine | by whom. |
| dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्) | nominative singular, neuter | seen. Agrees with brahma (ब्रह्म). |
| param (परम्) | nominative singular, neuter | highest. Agrees with brahma (ब्रह्म). |
| brahma (ब्रह्म) | nominative singular, neuter | the vast. |
| saḥ (सः) | nominative singular, masculine | he. Recited so (सो) before the avagraha. Correlates with yena (येन). |
| aham (अहम्) | nominative singular | I. Recited with anusvara before brahma (ब्रह्म). |
| brahma (ब्रह्म) | nominative singular, neuter | the vast. With iti (इति) recited brahmeti (ब्रह्मेति). |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | thus. |
| cintayet (चिन्तयेत्) | optative third person singular | may think, let him think. |
| kim (किम्) | accusative singular, neuter | what. |
| cintayati (चिन्तयति) | present third person singular | thinks. |
| niścintaḥ (निश्चिन्तः) | nominative singular, masculine | one without worry. Recited niścinto (निश्चिन्तो) before d (द्). |
| dvitīyam (द्वितीयम्) | accusative singular, neuter | a second. |
| yaḥ (यः) | nominative singular, masculine | who. Recited yo (यो) before n (न्). Agrees with niścintaḥ (निश्चिन्तः). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| paśyati (पश्यति) | present third person singular | sees. |
The phrases
yena correlates with saḥ (सः). param brahma dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्) is what was seen. iti closes saḥ (सः) aham brahma as the content of cintayet. niścintaḥ (निश्चिन्तः) yaḥ (यः) na paśyati (पश्यति) dvitīyam (द्वितीयम्) is the subject of kim cintayati.
Sanskrit in this line
saḥ (सः) aham is so 'ham, and before brahma the m is anusvara. brahma iti is brahmeti. yaḥ (यः) before na is yo.
Say it back
Who is it that does not see a second?