Ashtavakra Gita · Verse 4.1 · Janaka speaks
Oh, the man of understanding — the knower of Self who plays the game of life — has no similarity to the deluded beasts of the world.
Word by word
हन्त
hanta
Oh! How wonderful!
interjection
आत्मज्ञानस्य
ātmajñānasya
of the knower of Self
compound noun, masculine, genitive singular
ātmajñāna is the direct, non-mediated awareness of one's identity with Brahman. The genitive case here indicates the man characterised by this knowledge. It is the foundational realisation in Advaita Vedānta, distinguished from mere intellectual understanding.
धीरस्य
dhīrasya
of the steadfast wise one
adjective used as noun, masculine, genitive singular
dhīra (from dhī, 'intellect') denotes one whose intellect is firmly established in Self-knowledge, unshaken by the pairs of opposites. A recurring epithet in the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā for the jīvanmukta.
खेलतः
khelataḥ
playing, sporting
present active participle, masculine, genitive singular
भोगलीलया
bhogalīlayā
with the play of enjoyment
compound noun (bhoga + līlā), feminine, instrumental singular
līlā (divine play) applied to the jīvanmukta's engagement with the world: enjoyment is spontaneous play, neither sought nor avoided, leaving no saṃskāra. The realized being participates in saṃsāra as an actor in a drama, fully aware it is not ultimately real.
न
na
not
negative particle
हि
hi
surely, indeed
emphatic indeclinable particle
संसारवाहीकैः
saṃsāravāhīkaiḥ
with the beasts of saṃsāra
compound noun (saṃsāra + vāhīka), masculine, instrumental plural
vāhīka is a beast of burden or draught animal. The compound is a striking metaphor: those ignorant of the Self are like oxen yoked to the cart of worldly existence (saṃsāra), driven by desire and aversion, unable to see beyond their burden.
मूढैः
mūḍhaiḥ
with the deluded ones
adjective, masculine, instrumental plural
सह
saha
with, together with
indeclinable, governs instrumental
समानता
samānatā
similarity, equality
abstract noun, feminine, nominative singular