22.4
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā / 22. Tathāgata (तथागत) / 22.4
यदि नास्ति स्वभावश् च परभावः कथं भवेत् स्वभावपरभावाभ्यामृते कः स तथागतः
yadi nāsti svabhāvaś ca parabhāvaḥ kathaṃ bhavet svabhāvaparabhāvābhyām ṛte kaḥ sa tathāgataḥ
The line
If, is not, an own-nature and, an other-nature, how, would be, by means of a compound: an own-nature, and an other-nature, without, who, he, that. saḥ (सः) before a consonant, the one who has gone thus.
Where it sits
In Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (मूलमध्यमककारिका), chapter 22. Tathāgata (तथागत). The one who has gone thus. The words of this line are the ones to keep. A shorter line after this one may leave them unsaid.
Split: yadi (यदि) + nāsti (नास्ति) + svabhāvaḥ (स्वभावः) + ca (च) + parabhāvaḥ (परभावः) + kathaṃ (कथं) + bhavet (भवेत्) + svabhāva-parabhāvābhyām (स्वभाव-परभावाभ्याम्) + ṛte (ऋते) + kaḥ (कः) + sa (स) + tathāgataḥ (तथागतः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| yadi (यदि) | indeclinable | if |
| nāsti (नास्ति) | present, third person singular | is not |
| svabhāvaḥ (स्वभावः) | nominative singular, masculine | an own-nature |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | and |
| parabhāvaḥ (परभावः) | nominative singular, masculine | an other-nature |
| kathaṃ (कथं) | indeclinable | how |
| bhavet (भवेत्) | optative, third person singular | would be |
| svabhāva-parabhāvābhyām (स्वभाव-परभावाभ्याम्) | instrumental, dative, or ablative dual | a compound: an own-nature, and an other-nature. Read it from the end |
| ṛte (ऋते) | indeclinable | without |
| kaḥ (कः) | nominative singular, masculine | who |
| sa (स) | nominative singular, masculine | he, that. saḥ (सः) before a consonant |
| tathāgataḥ (तथागतः) | nominative singular, masculine | the one who has gone thus |
The phrases
yadi (यदि) is if. It stands as indeclinable. nāsti (नास्ति) is is not. It stands as present, third person singular. svabhāvaḥ (स्वभावः) is an own-nature. It stands as nominative singular, masculine. The line writes it svabhāvaś (स्वभावश्). ca (च) is and. It stands as indeclinable. parabhāvaḥ (परभावः) is an other-nature. It stands as nominative singular, masculine. kathaṃ (कथं) is how. It stands as indeclinable.
bhavet (भवेत्) is would be. It stands as optative, third person singular. svabhāva-parabhāvābhyām (स्वभाव-परभावाभ्याम्) is a compound: an own-nature, and an other-nature. Read it from the end. It stands as instrumental, dative, or ablative dual. ṛte (ऋते) is without. It stands as indeclinable. kaḥ (कः) is who. It stands as nominative singular, masculine. sa (स) is he, that. saḥ (सः) before a consonant. It stands as nominative singular, masculine. tathāgataḥ (तथागतः) is the one who has gone thus. It stands as nominative singular, masculine.
Sanskrit in this line
svabhāva-parabhāvābhyām (स्वभाव-परभावाभ्याम्) is one compound. The hyphen is a teaching mark. Only the last member wears the case. The line writes it svabhāvaś (स्वभावश्).
Say it back
Cover the English. Gloss nāsti (नास्ति) and svabhāvaḥ (स्वभावः).