The Upaniṣads / Īśāvāsya / 16 The person yonder
16
पूषन्नेकर्षे यम सूर्य प्राजापत्य व्यूह रश्मीन् समूह तेजः ।
यत् ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत् ते पश्यामि योऽसावसौ पुरुषः सोऽहमस्मि pūṣann ekarṣe yama sūrya prājāpatya vyūha raśmīn samūha tejaḥ |
yat te rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tat te paśyāmi yo 'sāv asau puruṣaḥ so 'ham asmi
The line
Pūṣan (पूषन्), sole seer, Yama (यम), sun, son of Prajāpati (प्रजापति): spread the rays, gather the light. The most auspicious form of yours, that I see. The person who is yonder, that person I am.
नेपालीमा
हे पूषन्, एकमात्र द्रष्टा, यम, सूर्य, प्रजापतिको पुत्र, किरण फैलाउनुहोस्, ज्योति समेट्नुहोस्। तपाईंको सबैभन्दा मङ्गल रूप म देख्छु, र उता जो पुरुष छ त्यो पुरुष म हुँ।
Where it sits
Mantra 15 asked the cover off. This mantra asks the rays apart, and then says so 'ham asmi (सोऽहमस्मि). The same Yama (यम) is the teacher in the Kaṭha (कठ). Here he is one name in a string of vocatives addressed to the sun.
Split: pūṣan (पूषन्) + ekarṣi (एकर्षि) + yama (यम) + sūrya (सूर्य) + prājāpatya (प्राजापत्य) + vyūha (व्यूह) + raśmīn (रश्मीन्) + samūha (समूह) + tejaḥ (तेजः) + yat (यत्) + te (ते) + rūpam (रूपम्) + kalyāṇatamam (कल्याणतमम्) + tat (तत्) + te (ते) + paśyāmi (पश्यामि) + yaḥ (यः) + asau (असौ) + asau (असौ) + puruṣaḥ (पुरुषः) + saḥ (सः) + aham (अहम्) + asmi (अस्मि)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| pūṣan (पूषन्) | vocative singular, masculine | O Pūṣan (पूषन्). Heard pūṣann (पूषन्न्) before ekarṣe (एकर्षे). |
| ekarṣe (एकर्षे) | vocative singular, masculine | O sole seer. eka-ṛṣi (एक-ऋषि). |
| yama (यम) | vocative singular, masculine | O Yama (यम). |
| sūrya (सूर्य) | vocative singular, masculine | O sun. |
| prājāpatya (प्राजापत्य) | vocative singular, masculine | O son of Prajāpati (प्रजापति). |
| vyūha (व्यूह) | imperative, second person singular | Disperse. Spread apart. From vi-ūh (वि-ऊह्). |
| raśmīn (रश्मीन्) | accusative plural, masculine | The rays. |
| samūha (समूह) | imperative, second person singular | Gather. From sam-ūh (सम्-ऊह्). |
| tejaḥ (तेजः) | accusative singular, neuter | The light, the blaze. |
| yat (यत्) | nominative singular, neuter | What. Which form. |
| te (ते) | genitive singular | Of you. |
| rūpam (रूपम्) | nominative singular, neuter | The form. Heard rūpaṃ (रूपं). |
| kalyāṇatamam (कल्याणतमम्) | nominative singular, neuter | The most auspicious. A superlative. Agrees with rūpam (रूपम्). |
| tat te paśyāmi (तत् ते पश्यामि) | accusative, genitive, verb | That of you I see. |
| yaḥ asau (यः असौ) | nominative | Who, that one yonder. Heard yo 'sau (योऽसौ), and the line says it again: asau (असौ). |
| puruṣaḥ (पुरुषः) | nominative singular, masculine | The person. |
| saḥ aham asmi (सः अहमस्मि) | nominative, verb | That one I am. Heard so 'ham asmi (सोऽहमस्मि). |
The phrases
Five vocatives, then two commands: spread the rays, gather the light.
The most auspicious form of yours, that I see. The person yonder, that I am.
Sanskrit in this line
Pūṣan (पूषन्) plus ekarṣe (एकर्षे) is pūṣann ekarṣe (पूषन्नेकर्षे).
Yaḥ (यः) plus asau (असौ) is yo 'sau (योऽसौ). Saḥ (सः) plus aham (अहम्) is so 'ham (सोऽहम्).
Say it back
Give the two imperatives, then the last three words: so 'ham asmi (सोऽहमस्मि).