17
Sāṅkhya Kārikā / Verses 1–21, the two realities / 17
सङ्घातपरार्थत्वात् त्रिगुणादिविपर्ययादधिष्ठानात् पुरुषोऽस्ति भोक्तृभावात् कैवल्यार्थं प्रवृत्तेश् च
saṅghātaparārthatvāt triguṇādiviparyayād adhiṣṭhānāt puruṣo 'sti bhoktṛbhāvāt kaivalyārthaṃ pravṛtteś ca
The line
The person exists: a compound is for someone else, he is the opposite of the three strands, there is a basis over the compound, there is an enjoyer, and nature's activity is for the sake of aloneness.
नेपालीमा
पुरुष छ, किनकि संयुक्त वस्तु अर्काका लागि हुन्छ, पुरुष तीन गुणको उल्टो हो, संयुक्त वस्तुमाथि आधार छ, भोक्ता छ, र प्रकृतिको काम कैवल्यका लागि हुन्छ।
Where it sits
Existence of puruṣa (पुरुष) is not yet his being many, nor his being a witness rather than an agent. Those are verses 18 and 19. Do not collapse them into this one.
Split: saṅghāta-para-arthatvāt (सङ्घात-पर-अर्थत्वात्) + tri-guṇa-ādi-viparyayāt (त्रि-गुण-आदि-विपर्ययात्) + adhiṣṭhānāt (अधिष्ठानात्) + puruṣaḥ (पुरुषः) + asti (अस्ति) + bhoktṛ-bhāvāt (भोक्तृ-भावात्) + kaivalya-artham (कैवल्य-अर्थम्) + pravṛtteḥ (प्रवृत्तेः) + ca (च)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| saṅghāta-para-arthatvāt (सङ्घात-पर-अर्थत्वात्) | ablative singular | because a compound is for the sake of another. A bed is for a sleeper. The body, the senses, and the intellect are compounds. |
| tri-guṇa-ādi-viparyayāt (त्रि-गुण-आदि-विपर्ययात्) | ablative singular | because of the opposite of the three strands and the rest. Verse 11 said the person is that opposite. The opposite of an unseeing object has to be a seer. |
| adhiṣṭhānāt (अधिष्ठानात्) | ablative singular | because of a basis, a controller. Something the compound is set under. |
| puruṣaḥ (पुरुषः) | nominative singular, masculine | the person. |
| asti (अस्ति) | present, third person singular | is. |
| bhoktṛ-bhāvāt (भोक्तृ-भावात्) | ablative singular | because there is such a thing as an enjoyer. Pleasure and pain are for someone. bhoktṛ (भोक्तृ) is the one who experiences. |
| kaivalya-artham (कैवल्य-अर्थम्) | accusative, used as 'for' | for the sake of aloneness. kaivalya (कैवल्य) is the person left to himself. |
| pravṛtteḥ (प्रवृत्तेः) | ablative singular | because of the proceeding, the activity of nature. |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | and. |
The phrases
Five reasons, then puruṣo 'sti (पुरुषोऽस्ति). The shape matches verses 15 and 16, so you already know how to read it.
The first reason is the one people remember: whatever is put together is put together for another. The intellect is put together. The another is puruṣa (पुरुष).
The apostrophe in puruṣo 'sti (पुरुषोऽस्ति) is the dropped a (अ) of asti (अस्ति). puruṣaḥ (पुरुषः) before a vowel becomes puruṣo (पुरुषो), and the a (अ) of asti (अस्ति) goes, leaving ऽ. Recite puruṣo 'sti (पुरुषोऽस्ति). Split puruṣaḥ asti (पुरुषः अस्ति).
Sanskrit in this line
The same ablative chain as verse 9 and verse 15. Once you can see 'five because-clauses, then asti (अस्ति),' you can read the book's proofs without a commentary.
Say it back
Say the bed-and-sleeper reason in one sentence, with saṅghāta (सङ्घात) and parārtha (परार्थ).