60
Sāṅkhya Kārikā / Verses 56–68, the end / 60
नानाविधैरुपायैरुपकारिण्यनुपकारिणः पुंसः गुणवत्यगुणस्य सतस् तस्यार्थमपार्थकं चरति
nānāvidhair upāyair upakāriṇy anupakāriṇaḥ puṃsaḥ guṇavaty aguṇasya satas tasyārtham apārthakaṃ carati
The line
By many kinds of means she, who helps, acts for the sake of the person who does not help her back, she with strands, he without them and real. For his purpose she moves, and it comes to nothing for her.
नेपालीमा
गुण भएकी र उपकार गर्ने प्रकृतिले धेरै उपायले त्यस पुरुषका लागि काम गर्छे, जो गुणरहित, सत्, र फर्काएर उपकार नगर्ने हो। पुरुषको प्रयोजनका लागि प्रकृति चल्छे, र प्रकृतिका लागि त्यो व्यर्थ हुन्छ।
Where it sits
Verse 61 is the sentence people quote. Nature is more delicate than anything else, because once she has been seen she does not come before that person again.
Split: nānā-vidhaiḥ (नाना-विधैः) + upāyaiḥ (उपायैः) + upakāriṇī (उपकारिणी) + anupakāriṇaḥ (अनुपकारिणः) + puṃsaḥ (पुंसः) + guṇa-vatī (गुण-वती) + aguṇasya (अगुणस्य) + sataḥ (सतः) + tasya (तस्य) + artham (अर्थम्) + apārthakam (अपार्थकम्) + carati (चरति)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| nānā-vidhaiḥ upāyaiḥ (नाना-विधैः उपायैः) | instrumental plural | by means of many kinds. |
| upakāriṇī (उपकारिणी) | nominative singular, feminine | she who helps. Nature. |
| anupakāriṇaḥ puṃsaḥ (अनुपकारिणः पुंसः) | genitive singular | of the person who does not help in return. puṃs (पुंस्) is the person. |
| guṇa-vatī (गुण-वती) | nominative singular, feminine | she who has the strands. |
| aguṇasya sataḥ (अगुणस्य सतः) | genitive singular | of him who is without strands, and who is real. sat (सत्) is being, real. |
| tasya artham (तस्य अर्थम्) | accusative | for his sake. |
| apārthakam (अपार्थकम्) | accusative or adverb | without a gain, pointlessly as far as she herself is concerned. |
| carati (चरति) | present | she moves, she acts. |
The phrases
The verse is willing to sound almost unfair. Every gain is on the person's side. Nature is upakāriṇī (उपकारिणी) and gets apārthakam (अपार्थकम्). That is consistent with her not being a person. She does not mind. Mind would be a guṇa (गुण) arrangement claiming a self.
Sanskrit in this line
Genitive puṃsaḥ (पुंसः) and aguṇasya (अगुणस्य) are the person, said twice. Nominative upakāriṇī (उपकारिणी) and guṇavatī (गुणवती) are nature. The cases tell you who helps and who is helped.
Say it back
Who has the guṇas (गुण) in this verse?