The Upaniṣads / Īśāvāsya / 17 Remember
17
वायुरनिलममृतमथेदं भस्मान्तं शरीरम् ।
ओं क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर vāyur anilam amṛtam athedaṃ bhasmāntaṃ śarīram |
oṃ krato smara kṛtaṃ smara krato smara kṛtaṃ smara
The line
Let the breath go to the immortal wind. Now this body ends in ash. Oṃ (ओं). O will, remember. Remember what was done. O will, remember. Remember what was done.
नेपालीमा
प्राण अमर वायुमा जाओस्। अब यो शरीर खरानीमा सकिन्छ, ओं, हे संकल्प, सम्झ, गरिएको सम्झ, हे संकल्प, सम्झ, गरिएको सम्झ।
Where it sits
The syllable of the Māṇḍūkya (माण्डूक्य) is the one word oṃ (ओं) here, set between the body and the remembering. Kratu (क्रतु) is vocative. The imperative is smara (स्मर), twice in each pair.
Split: vāyuḥ (वायुः) + anilam (अनिलम्) + amṛtam (अमृतम्) + atha (अथ) + idam (इदम्) + bhasma-antam (भस्म-अन्तम्) + śarīram (शरीरम्) + oṃ (ओं) + kratu (क्रतु) + smara (स्मर) + kṛtam (कृतम्) + smara (स्मर) + kratu (क्रतु) + smara (स्मर) + kṛtam (कृतम्) + smara (स्मर)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| vāyuḥ (वायुः) | nominative singular, masculine | Wind. Heard vāyur (वायुर्) before anilam (अनिलम्). |
| anilam (अनिलम्) | accusative singular, masculine | Into the wind. anila (अनिल) is wind as well. The breath goes to the wind. |
| amṛtam (अमृतम्) | accusative singular, neuter | The deathless. Heard amṛtam (अमृतम्). |
| atha (अथ) | indeclinable | Now. Joins idam (इदम्): athedam (अथेदम्). |
| idam (इदम्) | nominative singular, neuter | This. Heard idaṃ (इदं). |
| bhasma-antam (भस्म-अन्तम्) | nominative singular, neuter | Having ash as its end. Agrees with śarīram (शरीरम्). |
| śarīram (शरीरम्) | nominative singular, neuter | The body. |
| oṃ (ओं) | indeclinable | The syllable. |
| kratu (क्रतु) | vocative singular, masculine | O will. O purpose. The mind that intends a rite. |
| smara (स्मर) | imperative, second person singular | Remember. Said four times. |
| kṛtam (कृतम्) | accusative singular, neuter | What was done. Heard kṛtaṃ (कृतं). The object of smara (स्मर). |
The phrases
The wind to the wind, the deathless. And this body ends in ash.
O will, remember. Remember what was done. The pair is said, and said again.
Sanskrit in this line
Vāyuḥ (वायुः) plus anilam (अनिलम्) is vāyur anilam (वायुरनिलम्). A visarga before a vowel becomes r (र्).
Atha (अथ) plus idam (इदम्) is athedam (अथेदम्). Short a (अ) plus short i (इ) is e (ए).
Bhasma (भस्म) plus antam (अन्तम्) is bhasmāntam (भस्मान्तम्). Short a (अ) plus short a (अ) is ā (आ).
Say it back
Say what the body ends as, and say the imperative that is repeated.