The Upaniṣads / Īśāvāsya / 18 Lead us
18
अग्ने नय सुपथा राये अस्मान् विश्वानि देव वयुनानि विद्वान् ।
युयोध्यस्मज् जुहुराणमेनो भूयिष्ठां ते नम उक्तिं विधेम agne naya supathā rāye asmān viśvāni deva vayunāni vidvān |
yuyodhy asmaj juhurāṇam eno bhūyiṣṭhāṃ te nama uktiṃ vidhema
The line
Agni (अग्नि), lead us by a good path for the good, knowing all the ways, O god. Keep the crooked offense from us. May we offer you the fullest utterance of reverence.
नेपालीमा
हे अग्नि, सबै बाटो जाने देव, असलका लागि हामीलाई राम्रो बाटोले लैजानुहोस्। बाङ्गो अपराध हामीबाट हटाउनुहोस्, र हामी तपाईंलाई नमस्कारको सबैभन्दा पूर्ण वचन चढाऔं।
Where it sits
The last mantra of the eighteen, and the last verse of this saṃhitā (संहिता) chapter. The book began with the lord covering all this. It ends with a request to be led.
Split: agne (अग्ने) + naya (नय) + supathā (सुपथा) + rāye (राये) + asmān (अस्मान्) + viśvāni (विश्वानि) + deva (देव) + vayunāni (वयुनानि) + vidvān (विद्वान्) + yuyodhi (युयोधि) + asmat (अस्मत्) + juhurāṇam (जुहुराणम्) + enaḥ (एनः) + bhūyiṣṭhām (भूयिष्ठाम्) + te (ते) + namaḥ (नमः) + uktim (उक्तिम्) + vidhema (विधेम)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| agne (अग्ने) | vocative singular, masculine | O Agni (अग्नि). |
| naya (नय) | imperative, second person singular | Lead. From the root nī (नी). |
| supathā (सुपथा) | instrumental singular, masculine | By a good path. |
| rāye (राये) | dative singular, masculine | For wealth, for the good. |
| asmān (अस्मान्) | accusative plural | Us. |
| viśvāni (विश्वानि) | accusative plural, neuter | All. |
| deva (देव) | vocative singular, masculine | O god. |
| vayunāni (वयुनानि) | accusative plural, neuter | The ways, the courses of things. The object of vidvān (विद्वान्). |
| vidvān (विद्वान्) | nominative singular, masculine | Knowing. A perfect participle of vid (विद्). |
| yuyodhi (युयोधि) | imperative, second person singular | Keep off. A reduplicated imperative of yu (यु), to separate. Heard yuyodhy (युयोध्य्) before asmat (अस्मत्). |
| asmat (अस्मत्) | ablative plural | From us. Heard asmaj (अस्मज्) before juhurāṇam (जुहुराणम्). |
| juhurāṇam (जुहुराणम्) | accusative singular, neuter | Crooked, deceiving. Agrees with enaḥ (एनः). |
| enaḥ (एनः) | accusative singular, neuter | Offense, sin. Heard eno (एनो). |
| bhūyiṣṭhām (भूयिष्ठाम्) | accusative singular, feminine | The most abundant. Agrees with uktim (उक्तिम्). Heard bhūyiṣṭhāṃ (भूयिष्ठां). |
| te (ते) | genitive, or dative, singular | To you. For you. |
| namaḥ (नमः) | nominative singular, neuter | Reverence. A bow. Heard nama (नम) before uktim (उक्तिम्), the visarga dropped. |
| uktim (उक्तिम्) | accusative singular, feminine | An utterance. nama-ukti (नम-उक्ति), the utterance of reverence. |
| vidhema (विधेम) | optative, first person plural | May we offer. From vi-dhā (वि-धा). |
The phrases
Agni (अग्नि), lead us by a good path to the good. You know every course.
Keep the crooked offense off us. The fullest utterance of reverence to you, may we offer.
Sanskrit in this line
Yuyodhi (युयोधि) plus asmat (अस्मत्) is yuyodhy asmat (युयोध्यस्मत्). i (इ) before a vowel becomes y (य्).
Asmat (अस्मत्) plus juhurāṇam (जुहुराणम्) is asmaj juhurāṇam (अस्मज् जुहुराणम्). A final t (त्) before j (ज्) is heard as j (ज्).
Namaḥ (नमः) plus uktim (उक्तिम्) is nama uktim (नम उक्तिम्). The visarga drops before the vowel.
Say it back
Say the imperative addressed to Agni (अग्नि), and the offense he is asked to keep off.