BG 16.8
Bhagavad Gītā · Daivāsura Sampad Vibhāga YogaAnuṣṭubh (śloka)असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् | अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ||१६-८||
asatyamapratiṣṭhaṃ te jagadāhuranīśvaram . aparasparasambhūtaṃ kimanyatkāmahaitukam ||16-8||
Linguistic facts
Anuṣṭubh (śloka) · 16+16 syllables
scansion (laghu/guru)
18 words analyzed
- असतिasati← अस्verb · present third singular active (√as)
- अम्am← अnominal · accusative singular masculine
- अप्रतिष्ठम्apratiṣṭham← अप्रतिष्ठnominal · accusative singular masculine
- तेte← ताnominal · nominative dual feminine
- जगदjagada← गद्verb · perfect first singular active (√gad)
- आहुस्āhus← ब्रूverb · present third plural active (√brū)
- अनीश्वरम्anīśvaram← अनीश्वरnominal · accusative singular masculine
- अपरस्aparas← अपरnominal · nominative singular masculine
- परस्paras← पॄnominal · nominative singular masculine
- अम्am← अnominal · accusative singular masculine
- भूतम्bhūtam← भूnominal · accusative singular masculine
- किम्kim← किम्indeclinable
- अन्यत्anyat← अन्यnominal · vocative singular neuter
- काम्kām← काम्indeclinable
- अहaha← अहindeclinable
- ऐत्ait← इverb · imperfect third singular active (√i)
- उक्uk← वच्nominal · nominative singular masculine
- अम्am← अnominal · accusative singular masculine
Facts come from Vidyut (deterministic), never the model. Automated segmentation isn’t hand-verified — gaps are shown, not guessed.
Translations
16.8 They say, "This universe is without truth, without (moral) basis, without a God, brought about by mutual union, with lust for its cause; what else?"
source ↗8 more attributed translations
They say that this world is unreal, with no foundation, no God in control. They say it is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than lust.
16.8. They say that this world is without truth; has no basis; and has no Lord; this is born not on the basis of the mutual cause-and-effect-relation [of the things]; it has nothing [beyond] and has no cause.
16.8 They say the universe is an accident with no purpose and no God. Life is created by sexual union, a product of lust and nothing else.
16.8 Asatyam etc. [It] has nothing beyond : Here there is no other thing beyond what is seen.
16.8 They maintain that the universe is 'without truth,' viz., they do not accept that this universe, which is the effect of Brahman denoted by the term Satya, has Brahman for its Self. They contend that it is bereft of any 'foundation,' viz., they do not accept that it has Brahman for its foundation. Brahman as Ananta supports the earth and bears all the worlds, as declared in 'This earth, sustained upon the head of this great serpent, supports in its turn, this garland of worlds, along with their men, demons and gods' (V.P., 2.5.27). They say that it is 'without a Lord,' viz. they don't accept that this universe is controlled by Me, the Lord of all, the Supreme Brahman, whose will is always true. It has been already averred: 'I am the origin of all; from Me proceed everything' (10.8). And they also contend thus: 'What else can exist without mutual causation?' i.e., except by the union of the male and the female among men, beasts etc. What else exists apart from this nature? The meaning is that nothing else is seen. Therefore the entire world is rooted in sexual lust.
16.8 Te, they, the domoniacal persons; ahuh, say; that the jagat, world; is asatyam, unreal-as we ourselves are prone to falsehood, so is this whole world unreal; apratistham, it has no basis, it does not have righteousness and unrighteousness as its basis; it is anisvaram, without a God-nor is there a God who rules this (world) according to rigtheousness and unrighteousness (of beings). Hence they say that the world is godless. Moreover, it is aparaspara-sambhutam, born of mutual union. The whole world is born of the union of the male and female impelled by passion. (That union is) kama-haitukam, brought about by passion. Kama-haitukam and kama-hetukam are the same. Kim anyat, what other (cause can there be)? There exists to other unseen cause such as righteousness, unrigtheousness, etc. Certainly, the passion of living beings is the cause of the world. This is the view of the materialists.
16.8 They maintain: 'The universe is without truth, without any foundation and without a Lord (Isvara). What else can exist without mutual causation? It has lust for its cause.'
16.8 They say that the world is unreal, it has no basis, it is without a God. It is born of mutual union brought about by passion! What other (cause can there be)?
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