13
Sāṅkhya Kārikā / Verses 1–21, the two realities / 13
सत्त्वं लघु प्रकाशकमिष्टमुपष्टम्भकं चलं च रजः गुरु वरणकमेव तमः प्रदीपवच् चार्थतो वृत्तिः
sattvaṃ laghu prakāśakam iṣṭam upaṣṭambhakaṃ calaṃ ca rajaḥ guru varaṇakam eva tamaḥ pradīpavac cārthato vṛttiḥ
The line
Sattva is light and bright. Rajas stirs and moves. Tamas is heavy and covers. For the purpose at hand they act like a lamp.
नेपालीमा
सत्त्व लघु र उज्यालो हुन्छ, रजस् चलाउँछ र चञ्चल हुन्छ, र तमस् गुरु हुन्छ र छोपिदिन्छ। जुन प्रयोजन अघि छ त्यसमा तिनीहरू दियोझैँ काम गर्छन्।
Where it sits
You can now read a mood, a thought, or a failure of attention as a proportion of these three, without making the person into a mood. The person sees the proportion. He is not it. That distinction is verse 19 and 20.
Split: sattvam (सत्त्वम्) + laghu (लघु) + prakāśakam (प्रकाशकम्) + iṣṭam (इष्टम्) + upaṣṭambhakam (उपष्टम्भकम्) + calam (चलम्) + ca (च) + rajaḥ (रजः) + guru (गुरु) + varaṇakam (वरणकम्) + eva (एव) + tamaḥ (तमः) + pradīpa-vat (प्रदीप-वत्) + ca (च) + arthataḥ (अर्थतः) + vṛttiḥ (वृत्तिः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| sattvam (सत्त्वम्) | nominative singular, neuter | sattva, the strand of clarity. The word is also 'being,' and in this school it is the light strand. |
| laghu (लघु) | nominative singular, neuter | light, not heavy. |
| prakāśakam (प्रकाशकम्) | nominative singular, neuter | illuminating. |
| iṣṭam (इष्टम्) | nominative singular, neuter | desired, agreeable. Some readings take iṣṭam (इष्टम्) as 'it is held that.' Either way it sits with sattva (सत्त्व). |
| upaṣṭambhakam (उपष्टम्भकम्) | nominative singular, neuter | stimulating, propping up into action. This describes rajas (रज). |
| calam (चलम्) | nominative singular, neuter | moving. |
| rajaḥ (रजः) | nominative singular, neuter | rajas. A neuter noun in -as (-अस्), nominative -aḥ (-अः). |
| guru (गुरु) | nominative singular, neuter | heavy. |
| varaṇakam (वरणकम्) | nominative singular, neuter | covering, veiling. |
| eva (एव) | indeclinable | just, only. Tamas's work is precisely this covering. |
| tamaḥ (तमः) | nominative singular, neuter | tamas. |
| pradīpa-vat (प्रदीप-वत्) | indeclinable | like a lamp. |
| arthataḥ (अर्थतः) | indeclinable | for the sake of the purpose, as to their function. |
| vṛttiḥ (वृत्तिः) | nominative singular, feminine | the activity. Their working. |
The phrases
Three sentences with the verb left out. sattva (सत्त्व) is light and shining. rajas (रज) is the impeller and the mover. tamas (तम) is heavy and a veil.
pradīpavat (प्रदीपवत्) is the picture of their cooperation. A lamp has a wick, oil, and a flame doing different work, and one light comes of it. The strands are at odds and still one function. arthataḥ vṛttiḥ (अर्थतः वृत्तिः) says: considered as purpose, their activity is like that.
Manuscripts vary between upaṣṭambhaka (उपष्टम्भक) and upaṣṭambhaka (उपष्टम्भक) with a dental, and some read prakāśam (प्रकाशम्) as a noun. The sense used here is the usual one: rajas (रज) excites.
Sanskrit in this line
rajaḥ (रजः) and tamaḥ (तमः) look like masculine nominatives and are not. They are neuter stems in -as (-अस्): rajas (रज), tamas (तम). The nominative singular is -aḥ (-अः). Do not go looking for a masculine raja (रज).
Say it back
Match each strand to one adjective: light, moving, covering.