योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-7, chapter-142, verse-39

जलावर्तस्य को देहः कानि कर्माणि चोच्यताम् ।
यथाम्बुमात्रमावर्तो ब्रह्ममात्रं तथा जगत् ॥ ३९ ॥

jalāvartasya ko dehaḥ kāni karmāṇi cocyatām ,
yathāmbumātramāvarto brahmamātraṃ tathā jagat 39

39. jala āvartasya kaḥ dehaḥ kāni karmāṇi ca ucyatām |
yathā ambu mātram āvartaḥ brahma mātram tathā jagat ||

39. jala āvartasya kaḥ dehaḥ ca kāni karmāṇi ucyatām yathā āvartaḥ ambu mātram (asti),
tathā jagat brahma mātram (asti)

39. What body belongs to a whirlpool in water? And what actions (karma) can be ascribed to it? Let it be said! Just as a whirlpool is nothing but water, so too the entire universe (jagat) is nothing but the Absolute Reality (brahman).

Words meanings summery:

• जल (jala) - water

• आवर्तस्य (āvartasya) - of a whirlpool, of a turn, of a revolution

• कः (kaḥ) - who, what

• देहः (dehaḥ) - body, form

• कानि (kāni) - what, which (plural)

• कर्माणि (karmāṇi) - actions, deeds (plural)

• च (ca) - and, also

• उच्यताम् (ucyatām) - let it be said, let it be spoken

• यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

• अम्बु (ambu) - water

• मात्रम् (mātram) - merely, only, consisting of

• आवर्तः (āvartaḥ) - whirlpool, eddy

• ब्रह्म (brahma) - the Absolute Reality, the ultimate truth, the supreme spirit, the universal essence

• मात्रम् (mātram) - merely, only, consisting of

• तथा (tathā) - so, thus, in the same way

• जगत् (jagat) - the world, the universe, moving

Words meanings and morphology

जल (jala) - water

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of jala

jala - water

Note: Precedes āvartasya forming a compound.

आवर्तस्य (āvartasya) - of a whirlpool, of a turn, of a revolution

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of āvarta

āvarta - whirlpool, eddy, turn, revolution, recurrence

From ā + root vṛt (to turn)

Prefix: ā

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Qualifies "what body".

कः (kaḥ) - who, what

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of ka

ka - who, what, which

Masculine nominative singular of interrogative pronoun ka.

Note: Acts as the interrogative adjective for dehaḥ.

देहः (dehaḥ) - body, form

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of deha

deha - body, form, mass

From root dih (to smear, form)

Root: dih (class 4)

Note: Subject of implied "is".

कानि (kāni) - what, which (plural)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of ka

ka - who, what, which

Neuter nominative/accusative plural of interrogative pronoun ka.

Note: Acts as interrogative adjective for karmāṇi.

कर्माणि (karmāṇi) - actions, deeds (plural)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of karma

karma - action, deed, ritual, fate, consequence of actions

From root kṛ (to do)

Root: kṛ

Note: Subject of implied "are".

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

उच्यताम् (ucyatām) - let it be said, let it be spoken

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, imperative (loṭ) of vac

Imperative Passive

3rd person singular imperative passive of root vac (to speak, say)

Root: vac (class 2)

यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

(indeclinable)

अम्बु (ambu) - water

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of ambu

ambu - water

Note: Qualifies mātram and then āvartaḥ.

मात्रम् (mātram) - merely, only, consisting of

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of mātra

mātra - measure, quantity, mere, only, consisting of

Suffix mātra added to nouns/adjectives.

Note: Agrees with āvartaḥ implicitly, describing its nature.

आवर्तः (āvartaḥ) - whirlpool, eddy

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of āvarta

āvarta - whirlpool, eddy, turn, revolution, recurrence

From ā + root vṛt (to turn)

Prefix: ā

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Subject of the first part of the comparison.

ब्रह्म (brahma) - the Absolute Reality, the ultimate truth, the supreme spirit, the universal essence

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of brahman

brahman - the Absolute Reality, the ultimate truth, the supreme spirit, the universal essence, a sacred word, prayer, knowledge

From root bṛh (to grow, swell)

Root: bṛh (class 1)

मात्रम् (mātram) - merely, only, consisting of

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of mātra

mātra - measure, quantity, mere, only, consisting of

Suffix mātra added to nouns/adjectives.

Note: Agrees with āvartaḥ implicitly, describing its nature.

तथा (tathā) - so, thus, in the same way

(indeclinable)

Correlative to yathā.

जगत् (jagat) - the world, the universe, moving

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of jagat

jagat - world, universe, what moves, moving

Present Active Participle

Present active participle of root gam (to go) in reduplicated form, used as a noun.

Root: gam (class 1)

Note: Subject of the second part of the comparison.

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