अथ क्रमेण सन्त्यज्य प्रश्वासोच्छ्वाससंविदः । सन्निवेशं त्यजामीममनर्थं देहनामकम् ॥ २५ ॥
atha kramēṇa santyajya praśvāsōcchvāsasaṁvidaḥ | sannivēśaṁ tyajāmīmamanarthaṁ dēhanāmakam || 25 ||
Translation
Then, giving up in due order the awareness of breathing out and breathing in, I shall give up this arrangement of limbs, this misfortune called the body.
Word by word
- atha
- then
- kramēṇa
- in due order
- santyajya
- giving up
- praśvāsa
- of breathing out
- ucchvāsa
- and breathing in
- saṁvidaḥ
- the awareness
- sannivēśaṁ
- this arrangement of limbs
- tyajāmi
- I shall give up
- imam
- this
- anarthaṁ
- misfortune
- dēha
- the body
- nāmakam
- called
Meaning
The body is called a sanniveśa, an arrangement, a putting together of limbs, the commentary says, and an anartha, a misfortune. Rāma will let it go step by step (krameṇa), giving up even the awareness (saṃvid) of the breath. The language is the yogin's: the withdrawal of the breath before the body is left. And yet the body is called by its name only, "what is named body" (deha-nāmaka): it is a name for a heap. The reader may feel how little the word "body" covers: an arrangement of parts held together by breath, which one calls "me".