AVG 2.13

Chapter 2 (The Seekers Joy at Self-Cognizance): Verse 13
अहो अहं नमो मह्यं दक्षो नास्तीह मत्समः ।
असंस्पृश्य शरीरेण येन विश्वं चिरं धृतम् ॥ २-१३॥

PURPORT:
I remain amazed; salutations to myself!
I confidently persevere, unlike the others,
sustaining the universe for all eternity,
without my body appropriating any part.

TRANSLITERATION:
अहो अहम् नमः मह्यम् दक्षः न अस्ति इह मत्समः ।
aho aham namaḥ mahyam dakṣaḥ na asti iha matsamaḥ ।
असंस्पृश्य शरीरेण येन विश्वम् चिरम् धृतम् ॥ २-१३॥
asaṃspṛśya śarīreṇa yena viśvam ciram dhṛtam ॥ 2-13॥

MEANING:
aho (अहो)  = astonished! [as an exclamation of being pleasantly surprised at himself]
aham (अहम्) = I am
namaḥ (नमः) = salutation/adoration
mahyam (मह्यम्) = to myself/for me
dakṣaḥ (दक्षः) = wise/capable/diligent/confident
na (न) = not
asti (अस्ति) = is
iha (इह) = in this
matsamaḥ (मत्समः) = like me/just like me ।
asaṃspṛśya (असंस्पृश्य) = without touching/without appropriation
śarīreṇa (शरीरेण) = with the body/with the help of the body
yena (येन) = for this (referring to the universe)
viśvam (विश्वम्) = universe
ciram (चिरम्) = existing from ancient times/lasting a long time/everlasting/forever
dhṛtam (धृतम्) = is borne (as in bearing the universe) ॥ 2-13॥

COMMENT:
Janaka here renders in beautiful verse his continued astonishment at the insight that his awareness has wrought. The fundamental underlying message herein is subtle – the crux being that when one considers that our physical bodies are organic apportionments of the universe at large, the concept of life and death become immaterial. Existence and extinction become essentially one. In that sense, our bodies are no different from any other entity out there – be it a clod of dust or the incandescent electric bulb. The fundamental building blocks that constitute our bodies come to fruition fortuitously based upon cooperating atoms and molecules enmeshed in an inter-dependent dance; a dance that emerges with our physical bodies and thinking selves. The same set of atoms and molecules, on death of the physical body, only decays back to the raw matter and cycles back to get organized within another form of a sentient being or a non-sentient entity. When Janaka mentions that he confidently perseveres in the understanding that he sustains the universe for all eternity without his body appropriating any part of the universe, the import is immediate – life does not have a beginning nor an end – it is a continuous dance and Janaka now knows that he is part of the dance. While alive, our bodies nourish themselves and after death, the same body (in the process of dissipation) nourishes other forms of sentient and non-sentient matter. The cycle propagates thus.