Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १८) / 18.40
18.40
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
क्वात्मनो दर्शनं तस्य यद् दृष्टमवलम्बते ।
धीरास् तं तं न पश्यन्ति पश्यन्त्यात्मानमव्ययम् kvātmano darśanaṃ tasya yad dṛṣṭam avalambate |
dhīrās taṃ taṃ na paśyanti paśyanty ātmānam avyayam
The line
Where is the seeing of the self for him, the seeing which leans on what has been seen? The steady ones do not see this and that. They see the unchanging self.
नेपालीमा
देखेको कुरामा अड्नेको आत्माको दर्शन कहाँ? धीरहरू त्यो र त्यो देख्दैनन्। अव्यय आत्मालाई देख्छन्।
Where it sits
Astavakra is still speaking. The question is where a seeing of the self could be if it leans on something seen.
Split: kva (क्व) + ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः) + darśanam (दर्शनम्) + tasya (तस्य) + yat (यत्) + dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्) + avalambate (अवलम्बते) + dhīrāḥ (धीराः) + tam (तम्) + tam (तम्) + na (न) + paśyanti (पश्यन्ति) + paśyanti (पश्यन्ति) + ātmānam (आत्मानम्) + avyayam (अव्ययम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः) | genitive singular, masculine | of the self. Recited ātmano (आत्मनो) before d (द्). |
| darśanam (दर्शनम्) | nominative singular, neuter | seeing. |
| tasya (तस्य) | genitive singular | of him. |
| yat (यत्) | nominative singular, neuter | which. Agrees with darśanam (दर्शनम्). Recited yad (यद्) before d (द्). |
| dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्) | accusative singular, neuter | the seen. |
| avalambate (अवलम्बते) | present third person singular | leans on. |
| dhīrāḥ (धीराः) | nominative plural, masculine | the steady ones. Recited dhīrās (धीरास्) before t (त्). |
| tam (तम्) | accusative singular, masculine | that. |
| tam (तम्) | accusative singular, masculine | that, the next one. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| paśyanti (पश्यन्ति) | present third person plural | they see. |
| paśyanti (पश्यन्ति) | present third person plural | they see. Recited paśyanty (पश्यन्त्य्) before the vowel. |
| ātmānam (आत्मानम्) | accusative singular, masculine | the self. |
| avyayam (अव्ययम्) | accusative singular, masculine | unchanging. Agrees with ātmānam (आत्मानम्). |
The phrases
kva (क्व) asks for ātmanaḥ darśanam (आत्मनः दर्शनम्). tasya (तस्य) says whose. yat (यत्) agrees with darśanam (दर्शनम्), and dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्) is what that seeing avalambate (अवलम्बते). dhīrāḥ (धीराः) is the subject of both paśyanti (पश्यन्ति). tam tam (तम् तम्) are the objects denied. ātmānam avyayam (आत्मानमव्ययम्) is what the second paśyanti (पश्यन्ति) takes.
Sanskrit in this line
kva plus ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः) is kvātmanaḥ (क्वात्मनः), and ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः) before darśanam (दर्शनम्) is ātmano (आत्मनो). yat plus dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्) is yad dṛṣṭam (दृष्टम्). dhīrāḥ (धीराः) plus tam is dhīrās (धीरास्) tam. The second paśyanti (पश्यन्ति) plus ātmānam (आत्मानम्) is paśyanty (पश्यन्त्य्) ātmānam (आत्मानम्).
Say it back
What do the steady ones see?