The Upaniṣads / Īśāvāsya / 11 Knowing both
11
विद्यां चाविद्यां च यस् तद् वेदोभयं सह ।
अविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वा विद्ययामृतमश्नुते vidyāṃ cāvidyāṃ ca yas tad vedobhayaṃ saha |
avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtam aśnute
The line
Who knows both together, knowing and unknowing: by unknowing he crosses death, and by knowing he reaches the deathless.
नेपालीमा
जो ज्ञान र अज्ञान दुवै सँगै जान्छ, त्यो अज्ञानले मृत्यु तर्छ र ज्ञानले अमरत्वमा पुग्छ।
Where it sits
Mantras 9 and 10 set the two apart and called each a darkness when taken alone. This mantra is the joining. The same shape returns at mantra 14 for becoming and destruction.
Split: vidyām (विद्याम्) + ca (च) + avidyām (अविद्याम्) + ca (च) + yaḥ (यः) + tat (तत्) + veda (वेद) + ubhayam (उभयम्) + saha (सह) + avidyayā (अविद्यया) + mṛtyum (मृत्युम्) + tīrtvā (तीर्त्वा) + vidyayā (विद्यया) + amṛtam (अमृतम्) + aśnute (अश्नुते)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| vidyām (विद्याम्) | accusative singular, feminine | Knowing. Heard vidyāṃ (विद्यां). |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | And. Heard cāvidyām (चाविद्याम्). |
| avidyām (अविद्याम्) | accusative singular, feminine | Unknowing. |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | And. |
| yaḥ (यः) | nominative singular, masculine | Who. Heard yas (य) before tat (तत्). |
| tat (तत्) | accusative singular, neuter | That. Heard tad (तद्) before veda (वेद). |
| veda (वेद) | perfect, third person singular | He knows. Joins ubhayam (उभयम्): vedobhayam (वेदोभयम्). |
| ubhayam (उभयम्) | accusative singular, neuter | Both. |
| saha (सह) | indeclinable | Together. |
| avidyayā (अविद्यया) | instrumental singular, feminine | By unknowing. |
| mṛtyum (मृत्युम्) | accusative singular, masculine | Death. Heard mṛtyuṃ (मृत्युं). |
| tīrtvā (तीर्त्वा) | gerund | Having crossed. |
| vidyayā (विद्यया) | instrumental singular, feminine | By knowing. Joins amṛtam (अमृतम्): vidyayāmṛtam (विद्ययामृतम्). |
| amṛtam (अमृतम्) | accusative singular, neuter | The deathless. The object of aśnute (अश्नुते). |
| aśnute (अश्नुते) | present, third person singular, ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद) | He reaches, he enjoys. From aś (अश्). |
The phrases
Who knows knowing and unknowing, that, both together.
By unknowing he crosses death. By knowing he reaches the deathless.
Sanskrit in this line
Ca (च) plus avidyām (अविद्याम्) is cāvidyām (चाविद्याम्). Yaḥ (यः) plus tat (तत्) is yas tat (यस् तत्). Tat (तत्) plus veda (वेद) is tad veda (तद् वेद).
Veda (वेद) plus ubhayam (उभयम्) is vedobhayam (वेदोभयम्). Short a (अ) plus short u (उ) is o (ओ).
Vidyayā (विद्यया) plus amṛtam (अमृतम्) is vidyayāmṛtam (विद्ययामृतम्).
Say it back
Say which instrumental crosses death, and which reaches the deathless.