2
Sāṅkhya Kārikā / Verses 1–21, the two realities / 2
दृष्टवदानुश्रविकः स ह्यविशुद्धिक्षयातिशययुक्तः तद्विपरीतः श्रेयान् व्यक्ताव्यक्तज्ञविज्ञानात्
dṛṣṭavad ānuśravikaḥ sa hy aviśuddhikṣayātiśayayuktaḥ tadviparītaḥ śreyān vyaktāvyaktajñavijñānāt
The line
The Vedic means is like the ordinary means, because it is impure, it runs out, and it overreaches. The better means is the opposite, and it comes from knowing the manifest, the unmanifest, and the knower.
नेपालीमा
वैदिक साधन देखिने साधनजस्तै हो, किनकि त्यो अशुद्ध छ, क्षय हुन्छ, र अतिशय हुन्छ। श्रेष्ठ साधन त्यसको उल्टो हो, र त्यो व्यक्त, अव्यक्त र जान्नेको ज्ञानबाट आउँछ।
Where it sits
Sāṅkhya (साङ्ख्य) is not refusing the Veda as sound. It is refusing the Veda of rites as a cure for the three pains. Vedānta (वेदान्त) will read the Upaniṣads (उपनिषद्) as knowledge. Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) will defend the rites. This verse is the place those two later books are already in the room. Yoga will accept the map and add Īśvara (ईश्वर). This verse does not.
Split: dṛṣṭa-vat (दृष्ट-वत्) + ānuśravikaḥ (आनुश्रविकः) + saḥ (सः) + hi (हि) + aviśuddhi-kṣaya-atiśaya-yuktaḥ (अविशुद्धि-क्षय-अतिशय-युक्तः) + tad-viparītaḥ (तद्-विपरीतः) + śreyān (श्रेयान्) + vyakta-avyakta-jña-vijñānāt (व्यक्त-अव्यक्त-ज्ञ-विज्ञानात्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| dṛṣṭa-vat (दृष्ट-वत्) | indeclinable, -vat | like the seen. -vat (-वत्) means 'like.' |
| ānuśravikaḥ (आनुश्रविकः) | nominative singular, masculine | what comes by hearing. Scripture, the Veda of rites and heavens. anu (अनु) is along after, śrava (श्रव) is hearing. |
| saḥ (सः) | nominative singular, masculine | that. The Vedic remedy. |
| hi (हि) | indeclinable | for, because. It gives the reason. |
| aviśuddhi-kṣaya-atiśaya-yuktaḥ (अविशुद्धि-क्षय-अतिशय-युक्तः) | nominative singular, masculine | joined with impurity, with wasting away, and with excess. Heaven ends. The rite that buys it is mixed. |
| tad-viparītaḥ (तद्-विपरीतः) | nominative singular, masculine | the opposite of that. |
| śreyān (श्रेयान्) | nominative singular, masculine | better. Comparative of śreyas (श्रेय), the good. |
| vyakta-avyakta-jña-vijñānāt (व्यक्त-अव्यक्त-ज्ञ-विज्ञानात्) | ablative singular, neuter | from the knowing of the manifest, the unmanifest, and the knower. |
The phrases
ānuśravikaḥ (आनुश्रविकः) is the Vedic path, and dṛṣṭavat (दृष्टवत्) compares it to the ordinary remedies of verse 1. Same fault, different costume.
The long compound says what is wrong with it. Read from yuktaḥ (युक्तः), joined. Joined with what? With aviśuddhi (अविशुद्धि), impurity, with kṣaya (क्षय), dwindling, and with atiśaya (अतिशय), a surplus that is still a passing state. A heaven that can be used up is not the end of pain.
tadviparītaḥ śreyān (तद्विपरीतः श्रेयान्) is the book's own path: the opposite is better. Better than both the seen remedy and the heard one.
The ablative vijñānāt (विज्ञानात्) says the better comes from a knowing. The knowing has three objects, a dvandva: vyakta (व्यक्त) what has become manifest, avyakta (अव्यक्त) what has not, jña (ज्ञ) the knower. Verse 3 will name them.
Sanskrit in this line
saḥ (सः) before a consonant is recited sa (स). The file of a manuscript may write sa hy (स ह्य्). -vat (-वत्) does not decline. śreyān (श्रेयान्) is a comparative with -īyas (-ईयस्) / -yas (-यस्), nominative -ān (-आन्): the same pattern as balīyān (बलीयान्), stronger.
Say it back
Three words for the objects of the knowing: vyakta (व्यक्त), avyakta (अव्यक्त), jña (ज्ञ). Gloss them without looking.