Sanskrit शतपथब्राह्मणम् (14, 8, 12)

[Kobzar]

Hello, everybody!
I am trying to translate a passage from the शतपथब्राह्मणम् (14, 8, 12), and I am struggling with the words शश्वतीः समाः, at the end of the passage. According to the edition by Weber. Albrecht, 1855: "The White Yajurveda", Berlin-London, pp. 1096-7, the passage reads:
यदा वै पुरुषो | अस्ममल्लोकात्प्रैति स वायुमागछति तस्मै स तत्र विजिहीते यथा रथचक्रस्य खं तेन स ऊर्ध्व आक्रमते स आदित्यमागछति तस्मै स तत्र विजिहीते यथाडम्बरस्य खं तेन स ऊर्ध्व आक्मते स चन्द्रमसमागछति तस्मै स तत्र विजिहीते यथा दुन्दुभेः खं तेन स ऊर्ध्व आक्रमते स लोकमागछत्यशोकमहिमं तस्मिन्वसति शश्वतीः समाः ।।
My main problem is that those words seem to be in the nominative plural, while there is no verb in the plural in the passage. They could also be accusative plural, but I cannot see any verb of which they could be the direct object. I am considering the possibility of their being accusative of extension or of duration, but I cannot get a reasonable translation based on that assumption. Last, I guess there could be some elliptical word with which शश्वतीः समाः would agree, but I cannot figure out what that word could be.
Any help will be welcome.
Best regards.

 

[Dib]

You are absolutely right to think of an accusative of duration. It is providing the duration for the verb "vasati" - "stays for ever" (or "continually" - if that's what the context demands).

 

[Kobzar]

You are absolutely right to think of an accusative of duration. It is providing the duration for the verb "vasati" - "stays for ever" (or "continually" - if that's what the context demands).

Thank you very much for your answer!

 

[Kobzar]

You are absolutely right to think of an accusative of duration. It is providing the duration for the verb "vasati" - "stays for ever" (or "continually" - if that's what the context demands).

Thank you very much again, but I cannot properly understand the passage yet. I have drafted this tentative translation:
"So, when man leaves this world, he goes to the wind. There, for this one, he goes further as through the space of the wheel of a chariot. In this way he ascends.
He goes to the son of Aditi. Then, for this one, he goes further as through the space of an 'adambara' [sorry, I cannot put the diacritics with this device]. In this way he ascends.
He goes to the waning moon. For this one he goes further as through the space of a 'dundubhi'. In this way he ascends.
He goes to the world which is neither hot nor cold. In this one he abides..."
And, if my translation is roughly acceptable so far (is it really so?), what sense may the words शश्वतीः समाः have at the end of the last sentence, even assuming that their function is adverbial (accusative of extension)? They are both adjectives; so, they should agree with a noun, probably meaning "period, era" or the like, but I cannot find anything convincing in Monier Williams' "English Sanskrit Dictionary".
Thank you very much in advance for any help.
All the best.

 

[Dib]

what sense may the words शश्वतीः समाः have at the end of the last sentence, even assuming that their function is adverbial (accusative of extension)? They are both adjectives; so, they should agree with a noun, probably meaning "period, era" or the like, but I cannot find anything convincing in Monier Williams' "English Sanskrit Dictionary".

Oh, oh, oh, now I get your actual problem. It's not grammar, it's a vocabulary issue. I was surprised why you had a problem even after hitting on the right idea that it was an accusative of extension. You, my friend, are looking for the word - "समा" (a year, f.) - usually used in the plural in Classical Sanskrit.

 

[Kobzar]

Oh, oh, oh, now I get your actual problem. It's not grammar, it's a vocabulary issue. I was surprised why you had a problem even after hitting on the right idea that it was an accusative of extension. You, my friend, are looking for the word - "समा" (a year, f.) - usually used in the plural in Classical Sanskrit.

Great! Thank you very much!