Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १८) / 18.38
18.38
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
निराधारा ग्रहव्यग्रा मूढाः संसारपोषकाः ।
एतस्यानर्थमूलस्य मूलच्छेदः कृतो बुधैः nirādhārā grahavyagrā mūḍhāḥ saṃsārapoṣakāḥ |
etasyānarthamūlasya mūlacchedaḥ kṛto budhaiḥ
The line
The dull, without a support and busy with grasping, feed the wandering world. Of this root of harm, the cutting of the root has been done by the awake.
नेपालीमा
आधार नभएका, ग्रहणमा व्यग्र मूर्खहरू संसार पोस्छन्। यस अनर्थको मूल काट्ने काम बुद्धहरूले गरिसके।
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. The dull are named as those who feed the wandering world, and the awake as those who have cut its root.
Split: nirādhārāḥ (निराधाराः) + grahavyagrāḥ (ग्रहव्यग्राः) + mūḍhāḥ (मूढाः) + saṃsārapoṣakāḥ (संसारपोषकाः) + etasya (एतस्य) + anarthamūlasya (अनर्थमूलस्य) + mūlacchedaḥ (मूलच्छेदः) + kṛtaḥ (कृतः) + budhaiḥ (बुधैः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| nirādhārāḥ (निराधाराः) | nominative plural, masculine | without a support. The visarga is lost before the next word. |
| grahavyagrāḥ (ग्रहव्यग्राः) | nominative plural, masculine | busy with grasping. The visarga is lost before mūḍhāḥ (मूढाः). |
| mūḍhāḥ (मूढाः) | nominative plural, masculine | the dull ones. |
| saṃsārapoṣakāḥ (संसारपोषकाः) | nominative plural, masculine | those who feed the wandering world. |
| etasya (एतस्य) | genitive singular, neuter | of this. |
| anarthamūlasya (अनर्थमूलस्य) | genitive singular, neuter | of the root of harm. Agrees with etasya (एतस्य). |
| mūlacchedaḥ (मूलच्छेदः) | nominative singular, masculine | the cutting of the root. |
| kṛtaḥ (कृतः) | nominative singular, masculine | done. Agrees with mūlacchedaḥ (मूलच्छेदः). Recited kṛto (कृतो) before b (ब्). |
| budhaiḥ (बुधैः) | instrumental plural, masculine | by the awake. |
The phrases
Four nominatives agree. etasya anarthamūlasya (एतस्य अनर्थमूलस्य) is whose root is cut. mūlacchedaḥ (मूलच्छेदः) is kṛtaḥ (कृतः) by budhaiḥ (बुधैः).
Sanskrit in this line
The visarga of nirādhārāḥ (निराधाराः) and of grahavyagrāḥ (ग्रहव्यग्राः) is lost before a voiced consonant. etasya plus anarthamūlasya (अनर्थमूलस्य) is etasyānarthamūlasya (एतस्यानर्थमूलस्य). kṛtaḥ (कृतः) plus budhaiḥ (बुधैः) is kṛto (कृतो) budhaiḥ (बुधैः).
Say it back
Who has cut the root of this harm?