The Upaniṣads / Īśāvāsya / 15 The face of truth
15
हिरण्मयेन पात्रेण सत्यस्यापिहितं मुखम् ।
तत् त्वं पूषन्नपावृणु सत्यधर्माय दृष्टये hiraṇmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṃ mukham |
tat tvaṃ pūṣann apāvṛṇu satyadharmāya dṛṣṭaye
The line
The face of truth is covered by a golden dish. You, Pūṣan (पूषन्), uncover that, for the one of true law, so that it be seen.
नेपालीमा
सत्यको मुख सुनको भाँडाले छोपिएको छ। हे पूषन्, सत्य धर्म भएकोका लागि त्यो देखियोस् भनी तपाईं त्यो खोलिदिनुहोस्।
Where it sits
The teaching mantras are done. These four are a prayer at the end of the saṃhitā (संहिता) chapter. Pūṣan (पूषन्) is addressed as the one who can move the cover.
Split: hiraṇmayena (हिरण्मयेन) + pātreṇa (पात्रेण) + satyasya (सत्यस्य) + apihitam (अपिहितम्) + mukham (मुखम्) + tat (तत्) + tvam (त्वम्) + pūṣan (पूषन्) + apāvṛṇu (अपावृणु) + satya-dharmāya (सत्य-धर्माय) + dṛṣṭaye (दृष्टये)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| hiraṇmayena (हिरण्मयेन) | instrumental singular, neuter | By a golden one. Agrees with pātreṇa (पात्रेण). |
| pātreṇa (पात्रेण) | instrumental singular, neuter | By a dish, a lid. |
| satyasya (सत्यस्य) | genitive singular, neuter | Of truth. Joins apihitam (अपिहितम्): satyasyāpihitam (सत्यस्यापिहितम्). |
| apihitam (अपिहितम्) | nominative singular, neuter | Covered. A past participle of api-dhā (अपि-धा). |
| mukham (मुखम्) | nominative singular, neuter | The face. Heard mukham (मुखम्). |
| tat (तत्) | accusative singular, neuter | That. The lid. Heard tat (तत्). |
| tvam (त्वम्) | nominative singular | You. |
| pūṣan (पूषन्) | vocative singular, masculine | O Pūṣan (पूषन्). The sun as the nourisher. Heard pūṣann (पूषन्न्) before apāvṛṇu (अपावृणु). |
| apāvṛṇu (अपावृणु) | imperative, second person singular | Uncover. From apa-vṛ (अप-वृ). |
| satya-dharmāya (सत्य-धर्माय) | dative singular, masculine | For the one whose dharma (धर्म) is truth. Or for the law that is truth. The dative is the one for whom the uncovering is done. |
| dṛṣṭaye (दृष्टये) | dative singular, feminine | For the seeing. |
The phrases
The face of truth is covered by a golden dish.
Pūṣan (पूषन्), uncover that, for the one whose law is truth, for the seeing.
Sanskrit in this line
Satyasya (सत्यस्य) plus apihitam (अपिहितम्) is satyasyāpihitam (सत्यस्यापिहितम्). Short a (अ) plus short a (अ) is ā (आ).
Pūṣan (पूषन्) plus apāvṛṇu (अपावृणु) is pūṣann apāvṛṇu (पूषन्नपावृणु). A final n (न्) before a vowel doubles.
Say it back
Say what covers the face, and the two datives the uncovering is for.