योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-3, chapter-2, verse-34

मृत्युरुवाच ।
भगवञ्जायते शून्यात्कथं नाम वदेति मे ।
पृथ्व्यादयः कथं सन्ति न सन्ति वद वा कथम् ॥ ३४ ॥

mṛtyuruvāca ,
bhagavañjāyate śūnyātkathaṃ nāma vadeti me ,
pṛthvyādayaḥ kathaṃ santi na santi vada vā katham 34

34. mṛtyuḥ uvāca bhagavan jāyate śūnyāt katham nāma vada
iti me pṛthvyādayaḥ katham santi na santi vada vā katham

34. mṛtyuḥ uvāca bhagavan me vada katham nāma śūnyāt jāyate
ca vada katham pṛthvyādayaḥ santi vā katham na santi

34. Death said: 'O revered one (bhagavan), tell me, how indeed does it arise from emptiness (śūnya)? And tell me how the earth (pṛthvī) and other elements exist, or how they do not exist.'

Words meanings summery:

• मृत्युः (mṛtyuḥ) - Death (personified) (death, the god of death)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said (said, spoke, declared)

• भगवन् (bhagavan) - O revered one, O lord (O revered one, O worshipful one, O lord)

• जायते (jāyate) - arises, is born (is born, arises, originates, happens)

• शून्यात् (śūnyāt) - from emptiness (śūnya) (from emptiness, from void, from nothingness)

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

• नाम (nāma) - indeed (emphatic particle) (indeed, by name, forsooth (particle))

• वद (vada) - tell, explain (tell, speak, say)

• इति (iti) - thus (marking direct speech) (thus, in this manner, marking direct speech)

• मे (me) - to me (to me, for me, my)

• पृथ्व्यादयः (pṛthvyādayaḥ) - the earth (pṛthvī) and other elements (earth and others, the elements beginning with earth)

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

• सन्ति (santi) - they exist (they are, they exist)

• न (na) - not, no, nor

• सन्ति (santi) - they exist (they are, they exist)

• वद (vada) - tell, explain (tell, speak, say)

• वा (vā) - or (or, either...or)

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

Words meanings and morphology

मृत्युः (mṛtyuḥ) - Death (personified) (death, the god of death)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mṛtyu

mṛtyu - death, dying, the god of death

From root 'mṛ' (to die) with suffix '-tyu'.

Root: mṛ (class 6)

Note: Subject of 'uvāca'.

उवाच (uvāca) - said (said, spoke, declared)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, perfect (lit) of vac

Perfect Tense, 3rd Person Singular

Formed from root 'vac' with reduplication.

Root: vac (class 2)

भगवन् (bhagavan) - O revered one, O lord (O revered one, O worshipful one, O lord)

(adjective)

Vocative, masculine, singular of bhagavat

bhagavat - possessing fortune, glorious, revered, worshipful

Possessive adjective from 'bhaga' (fortune) with suffix '-vat'.

Note: Addressed to a superior.

जायते (jāyate) - arises, is born (is born, arises, originates, happens)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of jan

Present Middle, 3rd Person Singular

Deponent verb from root 'jan'.

Root: jan (class 4)

Note: Refers to some implied subject, perhaps 'it' or 'the world'.

शून्यात् (śūnyāt) - from emptiness (śūnya) (from emptiness, from void, from nothingness)

(noun)

Ablative, neuter, singular of śūnya

śūnya - empty, void, null, zero, emptiness, void

From root 'śū' (to swell, grow, be empty).

Root: śū (class 1)

Note: Source of arising.

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

(indeclinable)

Formed from the pronominal stem 'ka'.

नाम (nāma) - indeed (emphatic particle) (indeed, by name, forsooth (particle))

(indeclinable)

Particle.

वद (vada) - tell, explain (tell, speak, say)

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of vad

Imperative, 2nd Person Singular

Root: vad (class 1)

इति (iti) - thus (marking direct speech) (thus, in this manner, marking direct speech)

(indeclinable)

Particle.

मे (me) - to me (to me, for me, my)

(pronoun)

Dative, singular of asmad

asmad - I, myself, we

Enclitic form of the 1st person pronoun.

Note: Indirect object of 'vada'.

पृथ्व्यादयः (pṛthvyādayaḥ) - the earth (pṛthvī) and other elements (earth and others, the elements beginning with earth)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of pṛthvyādi

pṛthvyādi - earth and others, the elements beginning with earth

Compound formed from 'pṛthvī' (earth) and 'ādi' (beginning).

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (pṛthvī+ādi)

• pṛthvī – earth, the earth element
  noun (feminine)
• ādi – beginning, and so forth, etc.
  noun (masculine)

Note: Subject of 'santi'.

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

(indeclinable)

Formed from the pronominal stem 'ka'.

सन्ति (santi) - they exist (they are, they exist)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present (laṭ) of as

Present Tense, 3rd Person Plural

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Verb for 'pṛthvyādayaḥ'.

न (na) - not, no, nor

(indeclinable)

सन्ति (santi) - they exist (they are, they exist)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present (laṭ) of as

Present Tense, 3rd Person Plural

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Part of the disjunctive question.

वद (vada) - tell, explain (tell, speak, say)

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of vad

Imperative, 2nd Person Singular

Root: vad (class 1)

Note: Second imperative, connected by 'vā'.

वा (vā) - or (or, either...or)

(indeclinable)

Conjunction.

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

(indeclinable)

Formed from the pronominal stem 'ka'.

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