योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-7, chapter-32, verse-18

कोऽहं कथमिदं दृश्यं को जीवः किं च जीवनम् ।
इति तत्त्वज्ञसंयोगाद्यावज्जीवं विचारयेत् ॥ १८ ॥

ko'haṃ kathamidaṃ dṛśyaṃ ko jīvaḥ kiṃ ca jīvanam ,
iti tattvajñasaṃyogādyāvajjīvaṃ vicārayet 18

18. kaḥ aham katham idam dṛśyam kaḥ jīvaḥ kim ca jīvanam
| iti tattvajña-saṃyogāt yāvat jīvam vicārayet ||

18. aham kaḥ,
idam dṛśyam katham,
jīvaḥ kaḥ,
ca jīvanam kim iti tattvajña-saṃyogāt yāvat jīvam vicārayet

18. "Who am I? How does this visible world appear? What is the individual soul (jīva)? And what is the nature of life (jīvana) itself?" One should ponder these questions throughout one's life, through association with those who understand the true nature of reality (tattva).

Words meanings summery:

• कः (kaḥ) - who? what?

• अहम् (aham) - I, ego

• कथम् (katham) - how? in what manner?

• इदम् (idam) - this

• दृश्यम् (dṛśyam) - the visible world or phenomenal reality (visible, to be seen, the visible world/object)

• कः (kaḥ) - who? what?

• जीवः (jīvaḥ) - living being, individual soul (jīva)

• किम् (kim) - what?

• च (ca) - and, also

• जीवनम् (jīvanam) - life, living, existence (jīvana)

• इति (iti) - thus, so, indicating direct speech or an idea

• तत्त्वज्ञ-संयोगात् (tattvajña-saṁyogāt) - from the association with a knower of reality (tattva)

• यावत् (yāvat) - as long as, as far as, until

• जीवम् (jīvam) - throughout life, as long as one lives (life, living (accusative adverbially for duration))

• विचारयेत् (vicārayet) - one should ponder, investigate, reflect

Words meanings and morphology

कः (kaḥ) - who? what?

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who? what? which?

अहम् (aham) - I, ego

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of asmad

asmad - I, we

कथम् (katham) - how? in what manner?

(indeclinable)

इदम् (idam) - this

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of idam

idam - this, this one

दृश्यम् (dṛśyam) - the visible world or phenomenal reality (visible, to be seen, the visible world/object)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of dṛśya

dṛśya - visible, to be seen, an object of sight, phenomenon

Gerundive (Potential Passive Participle)

Derived from root dṛś with suffix -ya.

Root: dṛś (class 1)

कः (kaḥ) - who? what?

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who? what? which?

जीवः (jīvaḥ) - living being, individual soul (jīva)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of jīva

jīva - living being, individual soul, principle of life

Root: jīv (class 1)

किम् (kim) - what?

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - who? what? which?

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

जीवनम् (jīvanam) - life, living, existence (jīvana)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of jīvana

jīvana - life, living, existence, livelihood

Root: jīv (class 1)

इति (iti) - thus, so, indicating direct speech or an idea

(indeclinable)

तत्त्वज्ञ-संयोगात् (tattvajña-saṁyogāt) - from the association with a knower of reality (tattva)

(noun)

Ablative, masculine, singular of tattvajña-saṃyoga

tattvajña-saṁyoga - association with a knower of reality

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (tattvajña+saṃyoga)

• tattvajña – knower of truth/reality
  noun (masculine)
  Compound of 'tattva' (reality) and 'jña' (knower).
• saṃyoga – union, connection, association
  noun (masculine)
  Prefix: sam

यावत् (yāvat) - as long as, as far as, until

(indeclinable)

जीवम् (jīvam) - throughout life, as long as one lives (life, living (accusative adverbially for duration))

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of jīva

jīva - life, living, existence

Root: jīv (class 1)

Note: Used adverbially to denote duration, 'throughout life'.

विचारयेत् (vicārayet) - one should ponder, investigate, reflect

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of vicār

Causative form of 'vi-car'.

Prefix: vi

Root: car (class 1)