9.16
अहं क्रतुरहं यज्ञः
स्वधाहमहमौषधम् ।
मन्त्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यम्
अहमग्निरहं हुतम् ॥
ahaṃ kratur ahaṃ yajñaḥ svadhāham aham auṣadham
mantro 'ham aham evājyam aham agnir ahaṃ hutam
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking to Arjuna (अर्जुन). There is no finite verb. Each aham (अहम्) is "I am."
The verse
I am the rite, I am the sacrifice, I am the svadhā (स्वधा), I am the herb, I am the mantraḥ (मन्त्रः), I am the butter, I am the fire, I am what is poured.
नेपालीमा
म वैदिक कर्म हुँ, म यज्ञ हुँ, म स्वधा हुँ, म औषधि हुँ, म मन्त्र हुँ, म घिउ हुँ, म आगो हुँ, म खन्याइने हुँ।
Where it sits
The many ways of worship in 9.15 meet a single answer. Whatever part of the rite the worshipper touches, he says that part is himself. 9.17 and 9.18 keep the list going, out past the rite into the world.
Split: अहम् + क्रतुः + अहम् + यज्ञः + स्वधा + अहम् + अहम् + औषधम् + मन्त्रः + अहम् + अहम् + एव + आज्यम् + अहम् + अग्निः + अहम् + हुतम्
aham + kratuḥ + aham + yajñaḥ + svadhā + aham + aham + auṣadham + mantraḥ + aham + aham + eva + ājyam + aham + agniḥ + aham + hutam
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| क्रतुः | kratuḥ | nominative | the kratu (क्रतु), a Vedic rite. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| यज्ञः | yajñaḥ | nominative | the sacrifice. |
| स्वधा | svadhā | nominative | svadhā (स्वधा), the call that offers to the ancestors. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| औषधम् | auṣadham | nominative | the herb. |
| मन्त्रः | mantraḥ | nominative | the mantra. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | indeed. |
| आज्यम् | ājyam | nominative | the clarified butter. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| अग्निः | agniḥ | nominative | the fire. |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| हुतम् | hutam | nominative | what is poured into the fire. From hu (हु). |
The phrases
ahaṃ kratuḥ ahaṃ yajñaḥ (अहं क्रतुः अहं यज्ञः) begins a list with no verb. He is the rite and he is the sacrifice. स्वधा अहम् अहम् औषधम् svadhā aham aham auṣadham adds the ancestors' call and the herb.
mantraḥ aham (मन्त्रः अहम्) is the mantra. अहम् एव आज्यम् aham eva ājyam is the butter. अहम् अग्निः aham agniḥ is the fire. ahaṃ hutam (अहं हुतम्) is the offering once it has been poured. The pieces of the worship in 9.15 are all him.
Sanskrit in this line
aham (अहम्) changes the end of the word in front of it. मन्त्रः + अहम् mantraḥ + aham is mantro 'ham (मन्त्रोऽहम्): अः + अ aḥ + a becomes o ' (ओऽ). क्रतुः + अहम् kratuḥ + aham is kratur aham (क्रतुरहम्), because uḥ (उः) before a vowel becomes ur (उर्). अग्निः + अहम् agniḥ + aham is agnir aham (अग्निरहम्), because iḥ (इः) before a vowel becomes ir (इर्).
Say it back
Cover the English. Say the eight things he is. If hutam (हुतम्) or agniḥ (अग्निः) drops, stay here.