Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १८) / 18.68
18.68
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन ज्ञाततत्त्वो महाशयः ।
भोगमोक्षनिराकाङ्क्षी सदा सर्वत्र नीरसः bahunātra kim uktena jñātatattvo mahāśayaḥ |
bhogamokṣanirākāṅkṣī sadā sarvatra nīrasaḥ
The line
What is the use of much being said here? The large minded one who has known the reality, without longing for enjoyment or for release, is without taste for either, always and everywhere.
नेपालीमा
यहाँ धेरै भनेर के हुन्छ? तत्त्व जानेको महाशय भोग र मोक्ष दुवैको आकाङ्क्षारहित छ, अनि सधैँ सबैतिर नीरस छ।
Where it sits
Aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) is still speaking, and after the one who wins he says there is little left to say.
Split: bahunā (बहुना) + atra (अत्र) + kim (किम्) + uktena (उक्तेन) + jñātatattvaḥ (ज्ञाततत्त्वः) + mahāśayaḥ (महाशयः) + bhogamokṣanirākāṅkṣī (भोगमोक्षनिराकाङ्क्षी) + sadā (सदा) + sarvatra (सर्वत्र) + nīrasaḥ (नीरसः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| bahunā (बहुना) | instrumental singular, neuter | by much. Agrees with uktena (उक्तेन). Joined to atra (अत्र). |
| atra (अत्र) | indeclinable | here. |
| kim (किम्) | nominative singular, neuter | what? Joined to the vowel of uktena (उक्तेन). |
| uktena (उक्तेन) | instrumental singular, neuter | by what has been said. Agrees with bahunā (बहुना). |
| jñātatattvaḥ (ज्ञाततत्त्वः) | nominative singular, masculine | one who has known the reality. tattva (तत्त्व) is the reality. jñāta (ज्ञात) is known. Recited jñātatattvo (ज्ञाततत्त्वो) before m (म्). |
| mahāśayaḥ (महाशयः) | nominative singular, masculine | one whose mind is large. āśaya (आशय) is the seat of mind. |
| bhogamokṣanirākāṅkṣī (भोगमोक्षनिराकाङ्क्षी) | nominative singular, masculine | one without longing for enjoyment and for release. nirākāṅkṣin (निराकाङ्क्षिन्) is without longing. bhoga (भोग) is enjoyment. mokṣa (मोक्ष) is release. |
| sadā (सदा) | indeclinable | always. |
| sarvatra (सर्वत्र) | indeclinable | everywhere. |
| nīrasaḥ (नीरसः) | nominative singular, masculine | without taste, without savor for them. Agrees with mahāśayaḥ (महाशयः). |
The phrases
kim (किम्) with the instrumentals bahunā (बहुना) uktena (उक्तेन) dismisses further talk, and atra (अत्र) places it here. The nominatives jñātatattvaḥ (ज्ञाततत्त्वः), mahāśayaḥ (महाशयः), bhogamokṣanirākāṅkṣī (भोगमोक्षनिराकाङ्क्षी), and nīrasaḥ (नीरसः) are one person. sadā (सदा) and sarvatra (सर्वत्र) modify nīrasaḥ (नीरसः).
Sanskrit in this line
bahunā (बहुना) plus atra (अत्र) is bahunātra (बहुनात्र). kim (किम्) plus uktena (उक्तेन) joins m (म्) to the vowel. jñātatattvaḥ (ज्ञाततत्त्वः) before m (म्) is jñātatattvo (ज्ञाततत्त्वो).
Say it back
What is the large minded one without longing for, and how is he described everywhere?