25.24
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā / 25. Nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) / 25.24
सर्वोपलम्भोपशमः प्रपञ्चोपशमः शिवः न क्व चित् कस्यचित् कश्चिद् धर्मो बुद्धेन देशितः
sarvopalambhopaśamaḥ prapañcopaśamaḥ śivaḥ na kva cit kasyacit kaścid dharmo buddhena deśitaḥ
The line
The stilling of all apprehension, the stilling of proliferation, the auspicious. No dharma (धर्म) at all was taught by the Buddha, anywhere, to anyone.
नेपालीमा
सबै ग्रहणको शान्ति, प्रपञ्चको शान्ति, मङ्गल। बुद्धले कतै, कसैलाई, कुनै धर्म पनि सिकाउनुभएन।
Where it sits
Chapter 25 ends here. nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) was not a bhāva (भाव), not an abhāva (अभाव), not both, and 'neither' was only a presentation. The Buddha after cessation, and the Buddha standing, were not placed on the tetralemma. saṃsāra (संसार) and nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) had no distinguishing mark and no gap. The last line returns to the homage. The rest of the book is the pāṭha (पाठ), in order.
Split: sarva-upalambha-upaśamaḥ (सर्व-उपलम्भ-उपशमः) + prapañca-upaśamaḥ (प्रपञ्च-उपशमः) + śivaḥ (शिवः) + na (न) + kva (क्व) + cit (चित्) + kasyacit (कस्यचित्) + kaścid (कश्चिद्) + dharmaḥ (धर्मः) + buddhena (बुद्धेन) + deśitaḥ (देशितः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| sarva-upalambha-upaśamaḥ (सर्व-उपलम्भ-उपशमः) | nominative singular, masculine | the stilling of every upalambha (उपलम्भ), every apprehension, every taking-up of an object. |
| prapañca-upaśamaḥ (प्रपञ्च-उपशमः) | nominative singular, masculine | the stilling of prapañca (प्रपञ्च), proliferation. The same compound as in the homage. |
| śivaḥ (शिवः) | nominative singular, masculine | the auspicious. Also in the homage. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where. |
| cit (चित्) | indeclinable | the indefinite. With kva (क्व), anywhere. |
| kasyacit (कस्यचित्) | genitive singular | to anyone. |
| kaścid (कश्चिद्) | nominative singular, masculine | any. |
| dharmaḥ (धर्मः) | nominative singular, masculine | a dharma (धर्म), a teaching-item, a thing. |
| buddhena (बुद्धेन) | instrumental singular, masculine | by the Buddha. |
| deśitaḥ (देशितः) | nominative singular, masculine | was taught. |
The phrases
The first line echoes the homage: prapañcopaśama (प्रपञ्चोपशम) and śiva (शिव), and adds the stilling of every apprehension. The second line says the Buddha did not teach a dharma (धर्म) to anyone anywhere. Not a thing with svabhāva (स्वभाव), handed over.
Read it with 24.18. What he taught is dependent arising, which is emptiness, which is the middle way. That teaching is not the delivery of a dharma (धर्म) as an existent. The verse says so by na kaścid dharmaḥ deśitaḥ (न कश्चिद् धर्मः देशितः).
Sanskrit in this line
kva cit (क्व चित्), kasyacit (कस्यचित्), kaścid (कश्चिद्) are three indefinites: anywhere, of anyone, any dharma (धर्म). With na (न) and deśitaḥ (देशितः), the teaching of a thing is refused. buddhena (बुद्धेन) is the instrumental, the one who would have taught it.
Say it back
Say the last line, then say 24.18 beside it, so 'no dharma (धर्म) was taught' and 'dependent arising is emptiness' stay in one breath.