Vijñāna Bhairava / Verses 111–138 (उपदेश) / 134
134
Vijñāna Bhairava (विज्ञान भैरव)
आत्मनो निर्विकारस्य क्व ज्ञानं क्व च वा क्रिया ।
ज्ञानायत्ता बहिर्भावा अतः शून्यमिदं जगत् ātmano nirvikārasya kva jñānaṃ kva ca vā kriyā |
jñānāyattā bahirbhāvā ataḥ śūnyam idaṃ jagat
The line
Of the self that does not change, where is knowing, and where is action? The outer states depend on knowing. Therefore this world is void.
नेपालीमा
निर्विकार आत्माको ज्ञान कहाँ, क्रिया कहाँ? बाहिरी भाव ज्ञानमा अडिएका छन्। त्यसैले यो जगत् शून्य हो।
Where it sits
Two questions, then a therefore. The world is void because outer states hang on knowing, and knowing has no place in the changeless self.
Split: ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः) + nirvikārasya (निर्विकारस्य) + kva (क्व) + jñānam (ज्ञानम्) + kva (क्व) + ca (च) + vā (वा) + kriyā (क्रिया) + jñānāyattāḥ (ज्ञानायत्ताः) + bahirbhāvāḥ (बहिर्भावाः) + ataḥ (अतः) + śūnyam (शून्यम्) + idam (इदम्) + jagat (जगत्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः) | genitive singular, masculine | of the self. Recited ātmano (आत्मनो). |
| nirvikārasya (निर्विकारस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | of one without change. vikāra (विकार) is a change. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| jñānam (ज्ञानम्) | nominative singular, neuter | knowing. |
| kva (क्व) | indeclinable | where? |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | and. |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | or. |
| kriyā (क्रिया) | nominative singular, feminine | action. |
| jñānāyattāḥ (ज्ञानायत्ताः) | nominative plural, masculine | dependent on knowing. āyatta (आयत्त) is dependent. The text prints jñānāyattā (ज्ञानायत्ता). |
| bahirbhāvāḥ (बहिर्भावाः) | nominative plural, masculine | outer states. |
| ataḥ (अतः) | indeclinable | therefore. |
| śūnyam (शून्यम्) | nominative singular, neuter | void. |
| idam (इदम्) | nominative singular, neuter | this. |
| jagat (जगत्) | nominative singular, neuter | world. |
The phrases
Of the changeless self, where is knowing, and where is action? Outer states depend on knowing. Therefore this world is void.
Sanskrit in this line
kva (क्व) twice is two questions. jñānam (ज्ञानम्) is neuter, kriyā (क्रिया) is feminine. Each is a nominative with no verb but the question.
Say it back
Say the two questions.