Aṣṭāvakra Gītā / Janaka (अध्याय २०) / 20.1
20.1
the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (अष्टावक्र गीता)
क्व भूतानि क्व देहो वा क्वेन्द्रियाणि क्व वा मनः ।
क्व शून्यं क्व च नैराश्यं मत्स्वरूपे निरञ्जने kva bhūtāni kva deho vā kvendriyāṇi kva vā manaḥ |
kva śūnyaṃ kva ca nairāśyaṃ matsvarūpe nirañjane
The line
Where are beings, or where the body, where the senses, or where the mind? Where is the void, and where absence of expectation, in my own form that is without stain?
नेपालीमा
मेरो निरञ्जन आफ्नै रूपमा भूतहरू कहाँ छन्, शरीर कहाँ छ, इन्द्रियहरू कहाँ छन्, मन कहाँ छ? शून्य कहाँ छ, आशाको अभाव कहाँ छ?
Where it sits
Janaka speaks. janaka uvāca (उवाच) is printed before the verse and is not numbered. Chapter 20 opens on beings, body, senses, and mind.
Split: kva (क्व) + bhūtāni (भूतानि) + kva (क्व) + dehaḥ (देहः) + vā (वा) + kva (क्व) + indriyāṇi (इन्द्रियाणि) + kva (क्व) + vā (वा) + manaḥ (मनः) + kva (क्व) + śūnyam (शून्यम्) + kva (क्व) + ca (च) + nairāśyam (नैराश्यम्) + matsvarūpe (मत्स्वरूपे) + nirañjane (निरञ्जने)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| bhūtāni (भूतानि) | nominative plural, neuter | beings. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| dehaḥ (देहः) | nominative singular, masculine | the body. Recited deho (देहो) before vā (वा). |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | or. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| indriyāṇi (इन्द्रियाणि) | nominative plural, neuter | the senses. Recited in kvendriyāṇi (क्वेन्द्रियाणि), kva (क्व) plus indriyāṇi (इन्द्रियाणि). |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | or. |
| manaḥ (मनः) | nominative singular, neuter | the mind. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| śūnyam (शून्यम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the void. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | and. |
| nairāśyam (नैराश्यम्) | nominative singular, neuter | absence of expectation. |
| matsvarūpe (मत्स्वरूपे) | locative singular, neuter | in the form that is mine. Read from svarūpe (स्वरूपे). |
| nirañjane (निरञ्जने) | locative singular, neuter | in what is without stain. Agrees with matsvarūpe (मत्स्वरूपे). |
The phrases
The kva (क्व) words are nominatives with no finite verb. matsvarūpe (मत्स्वरूपे) and nirañjane (निरञ्जने) are locatives in agreement, the place of the questions.
Sanskrit in this line
dehaḥ (देहः) before vā (वा) is deho. kva plus indriyāṇi (इन्द्रियाणि) is kvendriyāṇi (क्वेन्द्रियाणि).
Say it back
In what place are the void and the absence of expectation asked?