Shloka 17

Nīlakaṇṭha-nāmotpatti-kathana

Origin of the Epithet “Nīlakaṇṭha”

Devanagari script

अहं कर्त्ता हि लोकानां संहर्ता च पुनः पुनः / एवं संभाषमाणौ तु परस्परजयैषिणौ

Transliteration

ahaṃ karttā hi lokānāṃ saṃhartā ca punaḥ punaḥ / evaṃ saṃbhāṣamāṇau tu parasparajayaiṣiṇau

Translation

« Je suis, en vérité, le créateur des mondes, et aussi leur destructeur, encore et encore. » Ainsi parlaient-ils tous deux, chacun cherchant la victoire sur l’autre.

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā (Nominative), Ekavacana

• kartā: creator
• kartā: Karta (कर्ता) (predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: tṛc (agent noun), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (emphasis/indeed)

• lokānām: of the worlds
• lokānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive), Bahuvacana

• saṃhartā: destroyer, reabsorber
• saṃhartā: Karta (कर्ता) (predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃ-hṛ (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: tṛc (agent noun), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; from √hṛ with prefix saṃ- (to withdraw/destroy)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kāla/Prakāra (काल/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb

• punaḥ: again and again
• punaḥ: Kāla/Prakāra (काल/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (repetition for emphasis)

• evam: thus
• evam: Prakāra (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb

• saṃbhāṣamāṇau: the two conversing
• saṃbhāṣamāṇau: Karta (कर्ता) (dual subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-bhāṣ (धातु)
• Form: Vartamāna-kṛdanta (Present middle participle/शानच्), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (Nominative), Dvivacana (Dual); ātmanepada sense ‘conversing’

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (contrast/emphasis)

• paraspara-jaya-aiṣiṇau: seeking to conquer one another
• paraspara-jaya-aiṣiṇau: Viśeṣaṇa of karta (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paraspara (प्रातिपदिक) + jaya (प्रातिपदिक) + eṣiṇ (प्रातिपदिक; from √iṣ ‘to seek’ with in)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Dvivacana; samāsa: tatpuruṣa (parasparasya jayaṃ eṣiṇau = seeking each other’s victory/defeat) used adjectivally