Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय १९) / 19.7
19.7
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
क्व मृत्युर् जीवितं वा क्व लोकाः क्वास्य क्व लौकिकम् ।
क्व लयः क्व समाधिर् वा स्वमहिम्नि स्थितस्य मे kva mṛtyur jīvitaṃ vā kva lokāḥ kvāsya kva laukikam |
kva layaḥ kva samādhir vā svamahimni sthitasya me
The line
Where is death or life, where the worlds, where of this, and where the worldly? Where is dissolution, or collectedness, of me who stand in my own greatness?
नेपालीमा
आफ्नै महिमामा उभिएको मेरो लागि मृत्यु कहाँ, जीवन कहाँ, लोकहरू कहाँ, यसको कहाँ, लौकिक कहाँ? लय कहाँ, समाधि कहाँ?
Where it sits
Janaka is still speaking. This is the last line that closes on standing in his own greatness.
Split: kva (क्व) + mṛtyuḥ (मृत्युः) + jīvitam (जीवितम्) + vā (वा) + kva (क्व) + lokāḥ (लोकाः) + kva (क्व) + asya (अस्य) + kva (क्व) + laukikam (लौकिकम्) + kva (क्व) + layaḥ (लयः) + kva (क्व) + samādhiḥ (समाधिः) + vā (वा) + svamahimni (स्वमहिम्नि) + sthitasya (स्थितस्य) + me (मे)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| mṛtyuḥ (मृत्युः) | nominative singular, masculine | death. Recited mṛtyur (मृत्युर्) before jīvitam (जीवितम्). |
| jīvitam (जीवितम्) | nominative singular, neuter | life. |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | or. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| lokāḥ (लोकाः) | nominative plural, masculine | worlds. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| asya (अस्य) | genitive singular | of this. Recited in kvāsya (क्वास्य), kva (क्व) plus asya (अस्य). |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| laukikam (लौकिकम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the worldly. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| layaḥ (लयः) | nominative singular, masculine | dissolution. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| samādhiḥ (समाधिः) | nominative singular, masculine | collectedness. Recited samādhir (समाधिर्) before vā (वा). |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | or. |
| svamahimni (स्वमहिम्नि) | locative singular, masculine | in one's own greatness. |
| sthitasya (स्थितस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | of one who stands. Agrees with me (मे). |
| me (मे) | genitive singular | of me. |
The phrases
asya (अस्य) is a genitive standing as its own question, between lokāḥ (लोकाः) and laukikam (लौकिकम्). layaḥ (लयः) and samādhiḥ (समाधिः) are the last pair. sthitasya (स्थितस्य) agrees with me (मे).
Sanskrit in this line
mṛtyuḥ (मृत्युः) before jīvitam (जीवितम्) is mṛtyur (मृत्युर्). kva plus asya is kvāsya (क्वास्य). samādhiḥ (समाधिः) before vā (वा) is samādhir (समाधिर्).
Say it back
What is asked beside death?