25.19
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā / 25. Nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) / 25.19
न संसारस्य निर्वाणात् किंचिदस्ति विशेषणम् न निर्वाणस्य संसारात् किंचिदस्ति विशेषणम्
na saṃsārasya nirvāṇāt kiṃcid asti viśeṣaṇam na nirvāṇasya saṃsārāt kiṃcid asti viśeṣaṇam
The line
Of saṃsāra (संसार) there is nothing that marks it off from nirvāṇa (निर्वाण). Of nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) there is nothing that marks it off from saṃsāra (संसार).
नेपालीमा
संसारलाई निर्वाणबाट छुट्याउने कुनै चिन्ह छैन। निर्वाणलाई संसारबाट छुट्याउने कुनै चिन्ह छैन।
Where it sits
25.18 left the Buddha undescribed by the four. 25.19 turns to the two realms people contrast. 25.20 says their limit is the same limit, with nothing between.
Split: na (न) + saṃsārasya (संसारस्य) + nirvāṇāt (निर्वाणात्) + kiṃcid (किंचिद्) + asti (अस्ति) + viśeṣaṇam (विशेषणम्) + na (न) + nirvāṇasya (निर्वाणस्य) + saṃsārāt (संसारात्) + kiṃcid (किंचिद्) + asti (अस्ति) + viśeṣaṇam (विशेषणम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| saṃsārasya (संसारस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | of saṃsāra (संसार), the round. |
| nirvāṇāt (निर्वाणात्) | ablative singular, neuter | from nirvāṇa (निर्वाण), as against nirvāṇa (निर्वाण). |
| kiṃcid (किंचिद्) | nominative singular, neuter | anything. |
| asti (अस्ति) | present, third person singular | there is. |
| viśeṣaṇam (विशेषणम्) | nominative singular, neuter | a distinguishing mark, a qualifier that would set one off from the other. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| nirvāṇasya (निर्वाणस्य) | genitive singular, neuter | of nirvāṇa (निर्वाण). |
| saṃsārāt (संसारात्) | ablative singular, masculine | from saṃsāra (संसार). |
| kiṃcid (किंचिद्) | nominative singular, neuter | anything. |
| asti (अस्ति) | present, third person singular | there is. |
| viśeṣaṇam (विशेषणम्) | nominative singular, neuter | a distinguishing mark. |
The phrases
Read both lines. The genitive is the thing that would wear the mark. The ablative is the thing it would be marked off from. Neither direction yields a viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण).
This is not 'they are one blob.' It is 'no mark distinguishes them,' which verse 25.20 will say as 'no interval, not even a fine one.'
Sanskrit in this line
Genitive plus ablative is 'of A, as against B.' viśeṣaṇam (विशेषणम्) is the mark that would do the contrasting. na kiṃcid asti (न किंचिदस्ति) says there is no such mark.
Say it back
Which way does the distinguishing fail? Say both ways.