2.24
तस्य हेतुरविद्या
tasya hetur avidyā
The line
Its cause is ignorance.
नेपालीमा
त्यसको कारण अविद्या हो।
Where it sits
The chain is now short enough to say. Ignorance causes the joining. The joining causes avoidable suffering, and also causes the two powers to be recognized. 2.25 will say what happens when ignorance is absent.
Split: tasya (तस्य) + hetuḥ (हेतुः) + avidyā (अविद्या)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| tasya (तस्य) | genitive singular | of that. Of the joining. |
| hetuḥ (हेतुः) | nominative singular, masculine | the cause. |
| avidyā (अविद्या) | nominative singular, feminine | ignorance. From 2.4 and 2.5. |
The phrases
Three words. tasya (तस्य) is the joining of 2.23. hetuḥ (हेतुः) and avidyā (अविद्या) are nominatives of different genders: the cause is ignorance. Before the vowel of avidyā (अविद्या), hetuḥ (हेतुः) loses ḥ (ः) and is recited hetur (हेतुर्), because uḥ (उः) before a vowel becomes ur (उर्).
Sanskrit in this line
uḥ (उः) before a vowel becomes ur (उर्). hetuḥ avidyā (हेतुः अविद्या) is hetur avidyā (हेतुरविद्या). This is the vowel version of āyuḥ bhogāḥ (आयुः भोगाः) becoming āyur bhogāḥ (आयुर् भोगाः) in 2.13. Same r (र्), now before a vowel instead of a voiced consonant.
Say it back
Say the three words with the sandhi you can hear: tasya hetur avidyā (तस्य हेतुरविद्या).
Next
2.25. When that is absent, joining is absent. That is release. It is the aloneness of the seer.