41
Sāṅkhya Kārikā / Verses 22–55, the world / 41
चित्रं यथाश्रयमृते स्थाण्वादिभ्यो विना यथा छाया तद्वद् विना विशेषैर् न तिष्ठति निराश्रयं लिङ्गम्
citraṃ yathāśrayam ṛte sthāṇvādibhyo vinā yathā chāyā tadvad vinā viśeṣair na tiṣṭhati nirāśrayaṃ liṅgam
The line
As a picture does not stand without a support, and as a shadow does not stand without a post and the like, so the subtle body does not stand supportless, without particulars.
नेपालीमा
जसरी चित्र आधारबिना उभिँदैन, र जसरी छाया खम्बा आदिसिवाय उभिँदैन, त्यसरी सूक्ष्म शरीर विशेषबिना, आधारबिना उभिँदैन।
Where it sits
Birth is the taking of a new support. Death was the previous support ending, verse 39. The liṅga (लिङ्ग) was asakta (असक्त), unstuck, not unsupported forever.
Split: citram (चित्रम्) + yathā (यथा) + āśrayam (आश्रयम्) + ṛte (ऋते) + sthāṇu-ādibhyaḥ (स्थाणु-आदिभ्यः) + vinā (विना) + yathā (यथा) + chāyā (छाया) + tadvat (तद्वत्) + vinā (विना) + viśeṣaiḥ (विशेषैः) + na (न) + tiṣṭhati (तिष्ठति) + nir-āśrayam (निर्-आश्रयम्) + liṅgam (लिङ्गम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| citram (चित्रम्) | nominative singular, neuter | a picture, a painting. |
| yathā (यथा) | indeclinable | as. |
| āśrayam ṛte (आश्रयमृते) | accusative with ṛte (ऋते) | without a support. ṛte (ऋते) takes the accusative and means 'without.' |
| sthāṇu-ādibhyaḥ vinā (स्थाणु-आदिभ्यः विना) | ablative with vinā (विना) | without a post and the rest. vinā (विना) also means 'without,' and it likes the ablative or the accusative. |
| chāyā (छाया) | nominative singular, feminine | a shadow. |
| tadvat (तद्वत्) | indeclinable | like that. |
| viśeṣaiḥ vinā (विशेषैः विना) | instrumental with vinā (विना) | without the particulars, the gross bodies. |
| na tiṣṭhati (न तिष्ठति) | present, with na | it does not stand. |
| nirāśrayam liṅgam (निराश्रयम् लिङ्गम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the subtle body with no support. |
The phrases
Two pictures, one claim. A painting needs a wall. A shadow needs a post. The liṅga (लिङ्ग) needs a gross particular. So transmigration is not a naked soul drifting. It is a subtle body that must take another support.
The verse shows three ways to say 'without': ṛte (ऋते), vinā (विना) with the ablative, vinā (विना) with the instrumental. The meaning does not change. The case governed by the little word does.
Sanskrit in this line
ṛte (ऋते) and vinā (विना) are indeclinables that govern a case. The case is not the indeclinable's ending. It is the ending of the noun that goes with it. Watch the noun, not the little word.
Say it back
Say the shadow sentence, then say what the post stands for.