8vakra

Ashtavakra Gita · Verse 1.8 · Ashtavakra speaks

Bitten by the great black serpent of the egoism 'I am the doer', drink the nectar of the faith 'I am not the doer', and be happy.
अहं कर्तेत्यहंमानमहाकृष्णाहिदंशितः ।नाहं कर्तेति विश्वासामृतं पीत्वा सुखं चर ॥ १-८॥
ahaṃ kartety ahaṃmāna mahākṛṣṇāhi daṃśitaḥ |nāhaṃ karteti viśvāsāmṛtaṃ pītvā sukhaṃ cara ||1-8||
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Word by word

अहम्

aham

I

pronoun, nominative singular

कर्ता

kartā

the doer

noun, masculine, nominative singular

अहंमान

ahaṃmāna

egoism, the sense of 'I am the doer'

compound noun (aham + māna), masculine (compound member)

Ahaṃkāra or ahaṃmāna: the egoistic identification of the pure Self with the body-mind, the root cause of all bondage.

महाकृष्णाहि

mahākṛṣṇāhi

the great black serpent

compound noun (mahā + kṛṣṇa + ahi), masculine (compound member)

Egoism is likened to a great black serpent because it causes spiritual death, just as a snake's bite causes physical death.

दंशितः

daṃśitaḥ

bitten

past passive participle, masculine, nominative singular

विश्वास

viśvāsa

faith, conviction

noun, masculine (compound member)

अमृतम्

amṛtam

nectar, ambrosia (of immortality)

noun, neuter, accusative singular

The conviction 'I am not the doer' is compared to nectar because it revives spiritual consciousness and frees one from worldly misery, just as nectar revives the dead.

पीत्वा

pītvā

having drunk

absolutive (gerund), pā

सुखम्

sukham

happily

adverb (accusative used adverbially)

चर

cara

move, live, conduct yourself

verb, imperative 2nd person singular, car