6.5
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥
uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking.
The verse
He should lift the self by the self and should not let the self sink, for the self alone is the friend of the self and the self alone is the enemy of the self.
नेपालीमा
आत्माले आत्मालाई उठाउनुपर्छ, र आत्मालाई डुब्न दिनु हुँदैन। आत्मा नै आत्माको मित्र हो, र आत्मा नै आत्माको शत्रु हो।
Where it sits
The means in 6.3 and the not-clinging in 6.4 are now put on the man himself. No one else lifts him. The next verse says when that self is the friend and when it is the enemy.
Split: उद्धरेत् + आत्मना + आत्मानम् + न + आत्मानम् + अवसादयेत् + आत्मा + एव + हि + आत्मनः + बन्धुः + आत्मा + एव + रिपुः + आत्मनः
uddharet + ātmanā + ātmānam + na + ātmānam + avasādayet + ātmā + eva + hi + ātmanaḥ + bandhuḥ + ātmā + eva + ripuḥ + ātmanaḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| उद्धरेत् | uddharet | optative, 3rd singular | he should lift up. From ud-dhṛ (उद्-धृ). |
| आत्मना | ātmanā | instrumental singular | by the self. |
| आत्मानम् | ātmānam | accusative singular | the self. The one lifted. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| आत्मानम् | ātmānam | accusative singular | the self. |
| अवसादयेत् | avasādayet | optative causative, 3rd singular | he should let sink. From ava-sad (अव-सद्). |
| आत्मा | ātmā | nominative singular | the self. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | alone, the very. |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | for. |
| आत्मनः | ātmanaḥ | genitive singular | of the self. |
| बन्धुः | bandhuḥ | nominative singular | a kinsman, a friend. |
| आत्मा | ātmā | nominative singular | the self. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | alone. |
| रिपुः | ripuḥ | nominative singular | an enemy. |
| आत्मनः | ātmanaḥ | genitive singular | of the self. |
The phrases
उद्धरेत् आत्मना आत्मानम् uddharet ātmanā ātmānam is the command. Lift the self by the self. न आत्मानम् अवसादयेत् na ātmānam avasādayet is the matching refusal: do not let the self sink.
ātmā eva hi ātmanaḥ bandhuḥ (आत्मा एव हि आत्मनः बन्धुः) gives the reason. The self alone is the friend of the self. ātmā eva ripuḥ ātmanaḥ (आत्मा एव रिपुः आत्मनः) is the other half. The self alone is the enemy of the self.
The line is one chain of sandhi. उद्धरेत् आत्मना आत्मानम् uddharet ātmanā ātmānam is recited uddhared ātmanātmānam (उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानम्). na ātmānam (न आत्मानम्) is nātmānam (नात्मानम्). ātmā eva (आत्मा एव) is ātmaiva (आत्मैव). hi ātmanaḥ (हि आत्मनः) is hyātmanaḥ (ह्यात्मनः). bandhuḥ ātmā (बन्धुः आत्मा) is bandhurātmā (बन्धुरात्मा). ripuḥ ātmanaḥ (रिपुः आत्मनः) is ripurātmanaḥ (रिपुरात्मनः).
Sanskrit in this line
ātman (आत्मन्) shows three cases in one verse, and the case is the meaning. ātmanā (आत्मना) is instrumental, "by." ātmānam (आत्मानम्) is accusative, the one acted on. ātmanaḥ (आत्मनः) is genitive, "of." The optative uddharet (उद्धरेत्) and avasādayet (अवसादयेत्) is the soft command, "he should." Final t (त्) before a vowel is recited d (द्): uddhared (उद्धरेद्).
Say it back
Cover the English. Lift, and do not let sink. If ātmanā (आत्मना) comes out as another person doing the lifting, stay here.