Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १८) / 18.31
18.31
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
निर्ध्यातुं चेष्टितुं वापि यच् चित्तं न प्रवर्तते ।
निर्निमित्तमिदं किन्तु निर्ध्यायेति विचेष्टते nirdhyātuṃ ceṣṭituṃ vāpi yac cittaṃ na pravartate |
nirnimittam idaṃ kintu nirdhyāyeti viceṣṭate
The line
The mind which does not set out to meditate or even to strive, that mind, without a cause, bustles with the thought that it has meditated.
नेपालीमा
ध्यान गर्न वा चेष्टा गर्न नलाग्ने चित्त कारणविना ध्यान गरेँ भन्दै चल्छ।
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. Meditating is named only as what this mind does not set out to do, and then as the thought it bustles with.
Split: nirdhyātum (निर्ध्यातुम्) + ceṣṭitum (चेष्टितुम्) + vā (वा) + api (अपि) + yat (यत्) + cittam (चित्तम्) + na (न) + pravartate (प्रवर्तते) + nirnimittam (निर्निमित्तम्) + idam (इदम्) + kintu (किन्तु) + nirdhyāya (निर्ध्याय) + iti (इति) + viceṣṭate (विचेष्टते)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| nirdhyātum (निर्ध्यातुम्) | infinitive | to meditate. |
| ceṣṭitum (चेष्टितुम्) | infinitive | to strive. |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | or. |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | even. Joined with vā (वा) as vāpi (वापि). |
| yat (यत्) | nominative singular, neuter | which. Agrees with cittam (चित्तम्). Recited yac (यच्) before c (च्). |
| cittam (चित्तम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the mind. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| pravartate (प्रवर्तते) | present third person singular | it sets out. |
| nirnimittam (निर्निमित्तम्) | nominative singular, neuter | without a cause. Agrees with idam (इदम्). |
| idam (इदम्) | nominative singular, neuter | this. |
| kintu (किन्तु) | indeclinable | but. |
| nirdhyāya (निर्ध्याय) | gerund | having meditated. |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | thus, marking that thought. Joined with nirdhyāya (निर्ध्याय) as nirdhyāyeti (निर्ध्यायेति). |
| viceṣṭate (विचेष्टते) | present third person singular | it bustles. |
The phrases
yat cittam (यत् चित्तम्) is the subject of na pravartate (न प्रवर्तते). The two infinitives say what it does not set out to do. idam (इदम्) takes that mind up again. nirdhyāya iti (निर्ध्याय इति) is the quoted thought with viceṣṭate (विचेष्टते).
Sanskrit in this line
vā (वा) plus api is vāpi (वापि). yat plus cittam is yac cittam. nirdhyāya (निर्ध्याय) plus iti is nirdhyāyeti (निर्ध्यायेति).
Say it back
With what thought does the causeless mind bustle?