योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-7, chapter-149, verse-32

सर्गादौ कारणं किं स्याद्वायूनां तेजसां च किम् ।
किमपां वेदनामात्ररूपाणां गगनात्मकम् ॥ ३२ ॥

sargādau kāraṇaṃ kiṃ syādvāyūnāṃ tejasāṃ ca kim ,
kimapāṃ vedanāmātrarūpāṇāṃ gaganātmakam 32

32. sarga-ādau kāraṇam kim syāt vāyūnām tejasām ca
kim kim apām vedanā-mātra-rūpāṇām gaganātmakam

32. sarga-ādau kāraṇam kim syāt vāyūnām tejasām ca
kim apām vedanā-mātra-rūpāṇām kim gaganātmakam

32. What would be the cause at the commencement of creation (sarga)? And what is the cause of the winds and the energies? What is the cause of the waters, whose essential forms are merely sensation? And what is the cause of that whose intrinsic nature is space (gaganātmaka)?

Words meanings summery:

• सर्ग-आदौ (sarga-ādau) - at the beginning of creation

• कारणम् (kāraṇam) - the cause

• किम् (kim) - what?

• स्यात् (syāt) - would be, might be

• वायूनाम् (vāyūnām) - of the winds, of the gases

• तेजसाम् (tejasām) - of the energies, of the fires, of the splendors

• च (ca) - and

• किम् (kim) - what?

• किम् (kim) - what?

• अपाम् (apām) - of the waters

• वेदना-मात्र-रूपाणाम् (vedanā-mātra-rūpāṇām) - of those whose forms are merely sensation, whose essential nature is sensation alone

• गगनात्मकम् (gaganātmakam) - that whose intrinsic nature is space, space-natured

Words meanings and morphology

सर्ग-आदौ (sarga-ādau) - at the beginning of creation

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of sarga-ādi

sarga-ādi - beginning of creation

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (sarga+ādi)

• sarga – creation, emission
  noun (masculine)
  From root `sṛj` (to emit/create) + `a` (suffix)
  Prefix: sam
  Root: sṛj (class 6)
• ādi – beginning, first, origin
  noun (masculine)
  Root: ad (class 2)

Note: The word `ādi` here is used as a locative, indicating a point in time or sequence.

कारणम् (kāraṇam) - the cause

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kāraṇa

kāraṇa - cause, reason, instrument

From root `kṛ` (to do) + `ana` (suffix)

Root: kṛ (class 8)

किम् (kim) - what?

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, who

स्यात् (syāt) - would be, might be

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (liṅ) of as

optative

third person singular optative active

Root: as (class 2)

वायूनाम् (vāyūnām) - of the winds, of the gases

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of vāyu

vāyu - wind, air, gas, vital breath

From root `vā` (to blow)

Root: vā (class 2)

तेजसाम् (tejasām) - of the energies, of the fires, of the splendors

(noun)

Genitive, neuter, plural of tejas

tejas - brilliance, radiance, fire, energy, vigor, spiritual power

From root `tij` (to be sharp)

Root: tij (class 1)

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

किम् (kim) - what?

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, who

किम् (kim) - what?

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, who

अपाम् (apām) - of the waters

(noun)

Genitive, feminine, plural of ap

ap - water, waters, liquid element

Irregular feminine noun, always plural in this sense.

वेदना-मात्र-रूपाणाम् (vedanā-mātra-rūpāṇām) - of those whose forms are merely sensation, whose essential nature is sensation alone

(adjective)

Genitive, feminine, plural of vedanā-mātra-rūpa

vedanā-mātra-rūpa - whose form is merely sensation, having only sensation as form

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (vedanā+mātra+rūpa)

• vedanā – sensation, feeling, perception
  noun (feminine)
  From root `vid` (to know/feel)
  Root: vid (class 2)
• mātra – only, merely, solely
  indeclinable/adjective
• rūpa – form, nature, appearance, essential character
  noun (neuter)

Note: This is an adjective modifying `apām`.

गगनात्मकम् (gaganātmakam) - that whose intrinsic nature is space, space-natured

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of gaganātmaka

gaganātmaka - having the nature of space/sky (ākāśa), whose essence is space

From `gagana` (sky/space) + `ātmaka` (having the nature of)

Compound type : karmadhāraya (gagana+ātmaka)

• gagana – sky, heaven, space (ākāśa)
  noun (neuter)
  Root: gam (class 1)
• ātmaka – whose nature is, consisting of, pertaining to (ātman)
  adjective
  From `ātman` + `ka` (suffix)

Note: This is a neuter nominative singular, asking what its cause is (implied).