25.20
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā / 25. Nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) / 25.20
निर्वाणस्य च या कोटिः कोटिः संसरणस्य च न तयोरन्तरं किंचित् सुसूक्ष्ममपि विद्यते
nirvāṇasya ca yā koṭiḥ koṭiḥ saṃsaraṇasya ca na tayor antaraṃ kiṃcit susūkṣmam api vidyate
The line
The limit of nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) is the limit of the wandering. Between those two not even a very fine interval is found.
नेपालीमा
निर्वाणको सीमा नै भ्रमणको सीमा हो। ती दुईका बीच एकदम मसिनो अन्तर पनि पाइँदैन।
Where it sits
25.19 was the missing mark. 25.20 is the missing gap. 25.21 says the views about an end, and the views about permanence, all lean on nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) as a far edge and on a first and a last point of the round.
Split: nirvāṇasya (निर्वाणस्य) + ca (च) + yā (या) + koṭiḥ (कोटिः) + koṭiḥ (कोटिः) + saṃsaraṇasya (संसरणस्य) + ca (च) + na (न) + tayoḥ (तयोः) + antaram (अन्तरम्) + kiṃcid (किंचिद्) + susūkṣmam (सुसूक्ष्मम्) + api (अपि) + vidyate (विद्यते)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| nirvāṇasya (निर्वाणस्य) | genitive singular, neuter | of nirvāṇa (निर्वाण). |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | and. |
| yā (या) | nominative singular, feminine | which, whatever. |
| koṭiḥ (कोटिः) | nominative singular, feminine | the limit, the edge. |
| koṭiḥ (कोटिः) | nominative singular, feminine | is the limit. |
| saṃsaraṇasya (संसरणस्य) | genitive singular, neuter | of saṃsaraṇa (संसरण), the wandering, saṃsāra (संसार). |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | and, too. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| tayoḥ (तयोः) | genitive dual | of those two. |
| antaram (अन्तरम्) | nominative singular, neuter | an interval, a gap. |
| kiṃcid (किंचिद्) | nominative singular, neuter | any. |
| susūkṣmam (सुसूक्ष्मम्) | nominative singular, neuter | very subtle, even a fine one. |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | even. |
| vidyate (विद्यते) | present, third person singular, middle | is found. |
The phrases
Whatever the koṭi (कोटि) of one is, that is the koṭi (कोटि) of the other. antaram (अन्तरम्) would be a gap between two edges. Not even a susūkṣma (सुसूक्ष्म) gap is found.
Together with 25.19: no distinguishing mark, and no distance.
Sanskrit in this line
koṭi (कोटि) is an edge. Two genitives, one koṭi (कोटि). tayoḥ antaram (तयोः अन्तरम्) is the gap of the pair.
Say it back
Is there a border where saṃsāra (संसार) stops and nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) starts?