25.7
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā / 25. Nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) / 25.7
भावो यदि न निर्वाणमभावः किं भविष्यति निर्वाणं यत्र भावो न नाभावस् तत्र विद्यते
bhāvo yadi na nirvāṇam abhāvaḥ kiṃ bhaviṣyati nirvāṇaṃ yatra bhāvo na nābhāvas tatra vidyate
The line
If nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) is not an existent, will it be a nonexistent? Where the existent is not, the nonexistent is not found either.
नेपालीमा
यदि निर्वाण भएको चीज होइन भने के त्यो नभएको चीज होला? जहाँ भएको छैन, त्यहाँ नभएको पनि पाइँदैन।
Where it sits
25.6 closed bhāva (भाव). 25.7 closes the easy opposite, abhāva (अभाव). 25.8 says an abhāva (अभाव) is not found without appropriation either.
Split: bhāvaḥ (भावः) + yadi (यदि) + na (न) + nirvāṇam (निर्वाणम्) + abhāvaḥ (अभावः) + kim (किम्) + bhaviṣyati (भविष्यति) + nirvāṇam (निर्वाणम्) + yatra (यत्र) + bhāvaḥ (भावः) + na (न) + na (न) + abhāvaḥ (अभावः) + tatra (तत्र) + vidyate (विद्यते)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| bhāvaḥ (भावः) | nominative singular, masculine | an existent. |
| yadi (यदि) | indeclinable | if. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| nirvāṇam (निर्वाणम्) | nominative singular, neuter | nirvāṇa (निर्वाण). |
| abhāvaḥ (अभावः) | nominative singular, masculine | a nonexistent, an absence. |
| kim (किम्) | indeclinable | what, is it the case that. Opening the question. |
| bhaviṣyati (भविष्यति) | future, third person singular | it will be. |
| nirvāṇam (निर्वाणम्) | nominative singular, neuter | nirvāṇa (निर्वाण), the topic carried into the second line. |
| yatra (यत्र) | indeclinable | where. |
| bhāvaḥ (भावः) | nominative singular, masculine | an existent. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| abhāvaḥ (अभावः) | nominative singular, masculine | a nonexistent. |
| tatra (तत्र) | indeclinable | there. |
| vidyate (विद्यते) | present, third person singular, middle | is found. |
The phrases
The escape 'then it is an abhāva (अभाव)' is blocked. abhāva (अभाव) is the absence of a bhāva (भाव). Where you do not have the existent, you do not have its absence as a second thing either. yatra na tatra na (यत्र न तत्र न).
So nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) is not the blank left by removing a thing.
Sanskrit in this line
yatra (यत्र) and tatra (तत्र) are where and there. Two na (न)s: the existent is not there, and the nonexistent is not there.
Say it back
Why does refusing bhāva (भाव) not leave you with abhāva (अभाव)?