संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Jñāneśvarī · Adhyāya 13

Cluster 0487 — BG-13.32 — *yathā sarva-gatam saukṣmyād ākāśam nopalipyate — sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā nopalipyate*

BG-13.32

Sanskrit

यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्यादाकाशं नोपलिप्यते। सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथाऽऽत्मा नोपलिप्यते॥३२॥

Translation

AS (yathā) the ĀKĀŚA — by-its-SAUKṢMYA-SUBTLETY (saukṣmyāt) — though SARVA-GATA (all-pervading) is NOT SMEARED (nopalipyate), SO (tathā) the ĀTMĀ in the body (dehe) though SARVATRA-AVASTHITA (everywhere-abiding) is NOT SMEARED (nopalipyate).

Function

BG-13.32 delivers one of the BG's most-celebrated non-staining similes — the iconic ĀKĀŚA-SIMILE — continuing the iconic UPALIPYATE non-staining-verb from BG-13.31's na karoti na lipyate. The verse's pedagogical-architecture is precise:

  • yathā-tathā simile-frame — the canonical comparative-correlative architecture.
  • ĀKĀŚA-vehicle — SPACE-ETHER as the universal-non-staining-vehicle, by virtue of its SARVA-GATA (all-pervading) quality.
  • SAUKṢMYA causal-explanation — SUBTLETY is the cause of non-staining (what is too-SUBTLE-to-be-touched cannot be stained).
  • ĀTMĀ-tenor — the ĀTMĀ in the body, SARVATRA-AVASTHITA (everywhere-abiding), is the simile-tenor.
  • iconic non-staining UPALIPYATE-verb repeated twice — confirming the simile-conclusion.

Jñāneśvar's 7-ovi Treatment

Jñāneśvar's treatment (13.1120-13.1126) renders the verse with elaborate Marathi pedagogical-architecture (2+1+4):

(i) 13.1120-13.1121 — Canonical ĀKĀŚA-Simile Pair (2 ovis)

  • 13.1120 — the iconic Marathi yathā-clause: agā ākāśa kēm nāhīm — hēm na righēci kavaṇē ṭhāyīm — parī kāyisēni kahīm gādijēnā (WHERE is ĀKĀŚA NOT — IT DOES-NOT-ENTER ANY PLACE — but BY-WHAT EVER IT-IS-NOT-STAINED). The iconic rhetorical-question kēm nāhīm + paradox-pivot na righēci (everywhere yet entering-nowhere = the SAUKṢMYA-subtlety) + GĀDIJĒNĀ non-staining-verb.

  • 13.1121 — the iconic Marathi tathā-clause: taisā sarvatra sarva dēhīm — ātmā asatu-ci asē pāhīm — sanga-dōṣēm ēkēm-hī — lipta nōhē (SO EVERYWHERE in ALL BODIES — the ĀTMĀ ABIDING-ITSELF ABIDES — BY-NOT-EVEN-ONE CONTACT-DEFECT — IS-NOT-STAINED). The iconic redoubled ASATU-CI-ASĒ ABIDING-AS-ABIDING confirms non-additive presence; the SAṄGA-DŌṢA-LIPTA-NŌHĒ vocabulary precisely renders the Sanskrit upalipyate.

(ii) 13.1122 — Meta-Pedagogical Bridge (1 ovi)

  • 13.1122 — puḍhata-puḍhatī ēthēm — hēm-ci lakṣaṇa nirutēm — jē jāṇāvēm kṣētrajñātēm — kṣētra-vihīnā (AGAIN-AND-AGAIN HERE — THIS-ITSELF is the PRECISE LAKṢAṆA — to KNOW the KṢETRAJÑA — as KṢETRA-DEVOID). The non-staining itself is the PRECISE LAKṢAṆA — the iconic link back to BG-13.1-2 KṢETRA-KṢETRAJÑA-VIBHĀGA.

(iii) 13.1123-13.1126 — Iconic 4-Supplementary-Simile Cascade (4 ovis)

  • 13.1123 — IRON-MAGNET (LOHA-BHRĀMAKA) — samsargēm cēṣṭijē lōhēm — parī lōha bhrāmaku nōhē (BY-CONTACT IRON MOVES — but IRON does-not-become-the-MAGNET). Iron moves by magnet-contact yet iron NEVER becomes the magnet — figuring the kṣetra's apparent-movement under the kṣetrajña's presence.

  • 13.1124 — LAMP-IN-HOUSE (DĪPAKA-GHARA) — dīpakācī arcī — rāhāṭī vāhē gharīmcī — parī vēgaḷīka kōḍīcī — dīpā āṇi gharā (the LAMP-S RAY — carries-the-HOUSE-S-ACTIVITIES — but ABSOLUTE-DISTINCTION between LAMP and HOUSE). The KŌḌĪCĪ-superlative names ABSOLUTE non-additive character.

  • 13.1125 — FIRE-IN-WOOD (VANHI-KĀṢṬHA) — paim kāṣṭhācyā pōṭīm — vanhi asē kirīṭī — parī kāṣṭha nōhē yā dṛṣṭī (in the WOOD-S-WOMB the FIRE ABIDES O-KIRĪṬĪ — but it does-NOT-become-the-WOOD to this VISION). The PŌṬĪṀ feminine-WOMB-image + KIRĪṬĪ Arjuna-vocative confirming chariot-frame intimate-disclosure + YĀ DṚṢṬĪ pedagogical-marker naming perceptive-discernment.

  • 13.1126 — Closing Double-Distinction: SKY-CLOUD + SUN-MIRAGE (NABHA-ĀBHĀḶA + RAVI-MṚGAJAḶA) — apāḍu nabhā ābhāḷā — ravi āṇi mṛgajaḷā — taisā-ci hā-hī ḍōḷām — dēkhasī jarī (the SKY-and-CLOUD ABSOLUTE-DISTINCTION + the SUN-and-MIRAGE — JUST-SO if you SEE this WITH-the-EYE). The APĀḌU absolute-no-equivalence vocabulary + classical Vedāntic MṚGAJAḶA mistaken-superimposition paradigm + DĒKHASĪ-JARĪ IF-YOU-SEE pedagogical-closing.

Five precise Marathi elevations beyond the Sanskrit

  1. AGĀ ĀKĀŚA KĒṀ NĀHĪṀ rhetorical-question (13.1120) — the iconic Marathi rhetorical-question + paradox-pivot na righēci (everywhere yet entering-nowhere = SAUKṢMYA-subtlety) + GĀDIJĒNĀ non-staining-verb. Purely Marathi pedagogical-elevation beyond the laconic Sanskrit yathā sarva-gatam saukṣmyād ākāśam nopalipyate.

  2. ASATU-CI-ASĒ redoubled-abiding + SAṄGA-DŌṢA-LIPTA-NŌHĒ vocabulary (13.1121) — the iconic redoubled ABIDING-AS-ABIDING confirming non-additive pure-presence + the SAṄGA-DŌṢA contact-defect technical vocabulary precisely rendering the Sanskrit upalipyate.

  3. Meta-pedagogical LAKṢAṆA + KṢETRA-VIHĪNA bridge (13.1122) — naming the non-staining itself as the PRECISE LAKṢAṆA for recognizing the KṢETRAJÑA as KṢETRA-VIHĪNA (DEVOID-OF-KṢETRA). Purely Marathi pedagogical-elevation linking back to BG-13.1-2 KṢETRA-KṢETRAJÑA-VIBHĀGA.

  4. 4-supplementary-simile cascade (13.1123-13.1126) — IRON-MAGNET (LOHA-BHRĀMAKA-PĀḌU) + LAMP-IN-HOUSE (DĪPAKA-GHARA-KŌḌĪCĪ) + FIRE-IN-WOOD (VANHI-KĀṢṬHA-PŌṬĪṀ + KIRĪṬĪ-vocative) + closing double-distinction SKY-CLOUD (NABHA-ĀBHĀḶA-APĀḌU) + SUN-MIRAGE (RAVI-MṚGAJAḶA-DĒKHASĪ-JARĪ). Each simile renders the kṣetra-kṣetrajña non-staining-distinction in a different concrete vehicle — purely Marathi pedagogical-elevation beyond Vyāsa's single ākāśa-simile.

  5. DĒKHASĪ-JARĪ IF-YOU-SEE pedagogical-closing (13.1126) — the iconic closing-pedagogical-marker naming the perceptive-vision required to grasp the non-staining LAKṢAṆA. Purely Marathi pedagogical-elevation closing the cluster on the perceptive-engagement requirement.

Arc-position

BG-13.32 stands within the adhyāya-13 closing-section (BG-13.26-34), specifically within the FINAL-DOCTRINAL-DISTINCTIONS sub-block (BG-13.29-34). The chapter's argument: BG-13.1-2 = KṢETRA-KṢETRAJÑA-VIBHĀGA → BG-13.3-6 = KṢETRA-DEFINITION → BG-13.7-11 = JÑĀNA-19-VIRTUE-CATALOG → BG-13.12-17 = JÑEYA-DEFINITION → BG-13.18 = TERMINAL-SUMMARY → BG-13.19-23 = PRAKṚTI-PURUṢA + GUṆA-doctrine → BG-13.24-25 = FOUR-PATH-CATALOG → BG-13.26-28 = sat-asat-yoga + equality-doctrine → BG-13.29-31 = prakṛti-doership + tattva-darśana + non-doership-non-staining → BG-13.32 = iconic ĀKĀŚA-SIMILE for ātmā-non-staining → BG-13.33-34 = closing-illumination-similes + chapter-coda. Doctrinal-progression from 0486 (BG-13.31 na karoti na lipyate) to 0487: DOCTRINAL-STATEMENT → iconic SIMILE-ELABORATION. The next cluster (0488) completes the closing-simile-pair with BG-13.33's iconic SUN-SIMILE for kṣetrī's universal-illumination.