15.16
द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके
क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च ।
क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि
कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते ॥
dvāv imau puruṣau loke kṣaraś cākṣara eva ca
kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭastho 'kṣara ucyate
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) continues, and the count of persons begins at two.
The verse
There are these two persons in the world, the perishable and the imperishable; the perishable is all beings, and the unchanging is called the imperishable.
नेपालीमा
संसारमा यी दुई पुरुष छन्, नाशवान् र अविनाशी। नाशवान् सबै प्राणी हुन्, र नबदलिनेलाई अविनाशी भनिन्छ।
Where it sits
The lights and the heart were said in the first person. Here he steps back and counts. Two persons, not yet three. The perishable is the beings. The imperishable is the one that stands unchanged. The third, higher than both, is the next verse.
Split: द्वौ + इमौ + पुरुषौ + लोके + क्षरः + च + अक्षरः + एव + च + क्षरः + सर्वाणि + भूतानि + कूट-स्थः + अक्षरः + उच्यते
dvau + imau + puruṣau + loke + kṣaraḥ + ca + akṣaraḥ + eva + ca + kṣaraḥ + sarvāṇi + bhūtāni + kūṭa-sthaḥ + akṣaraḥ + ucyate
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| द्वौ | dvau | nominative dual of dvi (द्वि) | two. |
| इमौ | imau | nominative dual of idam (इदम्) | these two. |
| पुरुषौ | puruṣau | nominative dual | persons. |
| लोके | loke | locative singular | in the world. |
| क्षरः | kṣaraḥ | nominative singular | the perishable. What wastes. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| अक्षरः | akṣaraḥ | nominative singular | the imperishable. a (अ) plus kṣara (क्षर). |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | indeed. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| क्षरः | kṣaraḥ | nominative singular | the perishable. |
| सर्वाणि | sarvāṇi | nominative plural | all. |
| भूतानि | bhūtāni | nominative plural | beings. |
| कूट-स्थः | kūṭa-sthaḥ | nominative singular | standing on the peak. The unchanging. kūṭa (कूट) is a summit, a mass that keeps its shape. stha (स्थ) is "standing." |
| अक्षरः | akṣaraḥ | nominative singular | the imperishable. |
| उच्यते | ucyate | present passive, 3rd singular of vac (वच्) | is called. |
The phrases
dvau imau puruṣau loke (द्वौ इमौ पुरुषौ लोके) announces the count. These two persons in the world. All three words are dual. द्वौ + इमौ dvau + imau is dvāv imau (द्वाविमौ): au (औ) before a vowel becomes āv (आव्).
kṣaraḥ ca akṣaraḥ eva ca (क्षरः च अक्षरः एव च) names them. The perishable, and the imperishable as well. क्षरः + च kṣaraḥ + ca is kṣaraś ca (क्षरश् च). च + अक्षरः ca + akṣaraḥ is cākṣaraḥ (चाक्षरः). अक्षरः + एव akṣaraḥ + eva drops the visarga before e (ए) and leaves the short a (अ): akṣara eva (अक्षर एव). No avagraha, because the next vowel is not a (अ).
kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni (क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि) identifies the first. The perishable is all beings. kūṭasthaḥ akṣaraḥ ucyate (कूटस्थः अक्षरः उच्यते) identifies the second. The unchanging is called the imperishable.
Sanskrit in this line
कूटस्थः + अक्षरः kūṭasthaḥ + akṣaraḥ is recited kūṭastho 'kṣara (कूटस्थोऽक्षर). अः + अ aḥ + a becomes o (ओ), and ऽ marks the lost a (अ). In the same line, अक्षरः + उच्यते akṣaraḥ + ucyate is akṣara ucyate (अक्षर उच्यते): aḥ (अः) before u (उ) drops the visarga and leaves a (अ), and there is no avagraha, because the following vowel is u (उ), not a (अ). Two visargas, two results.
Say it back
The two, and which is which. If all beings are called the imperishable, the count has collapsed. Stay here.