54
Sāṅkhya Kārikā / Verses 22–55, the world / 54
ऊर्ध्वं सत्त्वविशालस् तमोविशालश् च मूलतः सर्गः मध्ये रजोविशालो ब्रह्मादि स्तम्बपर्यन्तः
ūrdhvaṃ sattvaviśālas tamoviśālaś ca mūlataḥ sargaḥ madhye rajoviśālo brahmādi stambaparyantaḥ
The line
Above, creation is wide with sattva. At the root it is wide with tamas. In the middle it is wide with rajas, from Brahmā (ब्रह्मा) down to a tuft of grass.
नेपालीमा
माथि सृष्टि सत्त्वले फराकिलो हुन्छ, मूलमा तमस्ले फराकिलो हुन्छ, र बीचमा रजस्ले फराकिलो हुन्छ, र त्यो ब्रह्मादेखि घाँसको मुठासम्म फैलिएको छ।
Where it sits
The map of the world is as complete as the kārikā (कारिका) means it to be. Verse 55 says what the conscious one actually gets from all of this: pain. Verse 56 starts the ending.
Split: ūrdhvam (ऊर्ध्वम्) + sattva-viśālaḥ (सत्त्व-विशालः) + tamas-viśālaḥ (तमस्-विशालः) + ca (च) + mūlataḥ (मूलतः) + sargaḥ (सर्गः) + madhye (मध्ये) + rajas-viśālaḥ (रजस्-विशालः) + brahma-ādi (ब्रह्म-आदि) + stamba-paryantaḥ (स्तम्ब-पर्यन्तः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ūrdhvam (ऊर्ध्वम्) | indeclinable | above. |
| sattva-viśālaḥ (सत्त्व-विशालः) | nominative singular, masculine | abundant in sattva (सत्त्व). viśāla (विशाल) is wide, spacious. |
| tamas-viśālaḥ (तमस्-विशालः) | nominative singular, masculine | abundant in tamas (तम). |
| mūlataḥ (मूलतः) | indeclinable | at the root, below. |
| sargaḥ (सर्गः) | nominative singular, masculine | the creation. |
| madhye (मध्ये) | locative singular | in the middle. |
| rajas-viśālaḥ (रजस्-विशालः) | nominative singular, masculine | abundant in rajas (रज). |
| brahma-ādi (ब्रह्म-आदि) | nominative | beginning with Brahmā (ब्रह्मा). |
| stamba-paryantaḥ (स्तम्ब-पर्यन्तः) | nominative singular, masculine | ending at a clump of grass. |
The phrases
One creation, three complexions, and a range that runs from the highest deity the system bothers to name down to grass. puruṣa (पुरुष) is in all of them alike. The complexion is prakṛti (प्रकृति)'s.
Sanskrit in this line
Locative madhye (मध्ये) is 'in the middle.' paryanta (पर्यन्त) means 'up to and including the limit.'
Say it back
Where is rajas wide, and why does that matter for a human reader?