Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Aṣṭāvakra (अध्याय १८) / 18.95
18.95
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
ज्ञः सचिन्तोऽपि निश्चिन्तः सेन्द्रियोऽपि निरिन्द्रियः ।
सुबुद्धिरपि निर्बुद्धिः साहङ्कारोऽनहङ्कृतिः jñaḥ sacinto 'pi niścintaḥ sendriyo 'pi nirindriyaḥ |
subuddhir api nirbuddhiḥ sāhaṅkāro 'nahaṅkṛtiḥ
The line
The knower, though with thought, is without worry, and though with the senses, is without senses. Though of fine understanding, he is without understanding, and with the making of I he is the absence of that making.
नेपालीमा
ज्ञानी चिन्तासहित भएर पनि निश्चिन्त छ, इन्द्रियसहित भएर पनि इन्द्रियरहित छ। सुबुद्धि भएर पनि बुद्धिरहित छ, अहङ्कारसहित भएर पनि अहङ्कृतिरहित छ।
Where it sits
Aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) is still speaking, and the steady one content at every step is now the knower who holds each pair and its absence.
Split: jñaḥ (ज्ञः) + sacintaḥ (सचिन्तः) + api (अपि) + niścintaḥ (निश्चिन्तः) + sendriyaḥ (सेन्द्रियः) + api (अपि) + nirindriyaḥ (निरिन्द्रियः) + subuddhiḥ (सुबुद्धिः) + api (अपि) + nirbuddhiḥ (निर्बुद्धिः) + sāhaṅkāraḥ (साहङ्कारः) + anahaṅkṛtiḥ (अनहङ्कृतिः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| jñaḥ (ज्ञः) | nominative singular, masculine | the knower. Subject of the nominal pairs. |
| sacintaḥ (सचिन्तः) | nominative singular, masculine | with thought, with care. Recited sacinto (सचिन्तो) with the avagraha. |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | even, though. |
| niścintaḥ (निश्चिन्तः) | nominative singular, masculine | without worry. |
| sendriyaḥ (सेन्द्रियः) | nominative singular, masculine | with the senses. Recited sendriyo (सेन्द्रियो) with the avagraha. |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | though. |
| nirindriyaḥ (निरिन्द्रियः) | nominative singular, masculine | without the senses. |
| subuddhiḥ (सुबुद्धिः) | nominative singular, masculine | one whose understanding is fine. buddhi (बुद्धि) is understanding. Recited subuddhir (सुबुद्धिर्) before api (अपि). |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | though. |
| nirbuddhiḥ (निर्बुद्धिः) | nominative singular, masculine | one without understanding. |
| sāhaṅkāraḥ (साहङ्कारः) | nominative singular, masculine | with the making of I. Recited sāhaṅkāro (साहङ्कारो) with the avagraha. |
| anahaṅkṛtiḥ (अनहङ्कृतिः) | nominative singular, feminine | the absence of the making of I. Predicate of jñaḥ (ज्ञः), the abstract in the feminine. |
The phrases
jñaḥ (ज्ञः) carries four pairs. Each api (अपि) concedes the first member and the next word denies it: sacintaḥ (सचिन्तः) yet niścintaḥ (निश्चिन्तः), sendriyaḥ (सेन्द्रियः) yet nirindriyaḥ (निरिन्द्रियः), subuddhiḥ (सुबुद्धिः) yet nirbuddhiḥ (निर्बुद्धिः). The last pair has no api (अपि): sāhaṅkāraḥ (साहङ्कारः) and anahaṅkṛtiḥ (अनहङ्कृतिः).
Sanskrit in this line
sacintaḥ (सचिन्तः) plus api (अपि) is sacinto (सचिन्तो) with the avagraha. sendriyaḥ (सेन्द्रियः) plus api (अपि) is sendriyo (सेन्द्रियो) with the avagraha. subuddhiḥ (सुबुद्धिः) plus api (अपि) is subuddhir (सुबुद्धिर्) api (अपि). sāhaṅkāraḥ (साहङ्कारः) plus anahaṅkṛtiḥ (अनहङ्कृतिः) is sāhaṅkāro (साहङ्कारो) with the avagraha.
Say it back
Name the four pairs in which the knower is both with a thing and without it.