The Upaniṣads / Īśāvāsya / 2 Doing the rites
2
कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेच् छतं समाः ।
एवं त्वयि नान्यथेतोऽस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे kurvann eveha karmāṇi jijīviṣec chataṃ samāḥ |
evaṃ tvayi nānyatheto 'sti na karma lipyate nare
The line
Only doing the rites here, one should wish to live a hundred years. For you there is nothing other than this. Action does not smear the man.
नेपालीमा
यहाँ कर्म मात्र गर्दै सय वर्ष बाँच्न चाहनुपर्छ। तिम्रा लागि योभन्दा अर्को केही छैन, र कर्मले मानिसलाई दाग लगाउँदैन।
Where it sits
Mantra 1 said enjoy by what has been renounced. This mantra says doing karmāṇi (कर्माणि). The two are neighbors. Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा)'s question is the doing. Vedānta (वेदान्त)'s question is the knowing. The line na karma lipyate nare (न कर्म लिप्यते नरे) is this upaniṣad (उपनिषद्)'s own claim about the man who lives the hundred years thus. It is not a sentence copied out of either sūtra (सूत्र).
Split: kurvan (कुर्वन्) + eva (एव) + iha (इह) + karmāṇi (कर्माणि) + jijīviṣet (जिजीविषेत्) + śatam (शतम्) + samāḥ (समाः) + evam (एवम्) + tvayi (त्वयि) + na (न) + anyathā (अन्यथा) + itaḥ (इतः) + asti (अस्ति) + na (न) + karma (कर्म) + lipyate (लिप्यते) + nare (नरे)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| kurvan (कुर्वन्) | nominative singular, masculine | Doing. A present participle. Heard kurvann (कुर्वन्न्) before eva (एव). |
| eva (एव) | indeclinable | Just. Only thus. Joins iha (इह): eveha (एवेह). |
| iha (इह) | indeclinable | Here. |
| karmāṇi (कर्माणि) | accusative plural, neuter | The rites. The object of kurvan (कुर्वन्). |
| jijīviṣet (जिजीविषेत्) | optative, third person singular | He should wish to live. A desiderative of jīv (जीव्). Heard jijīviṣec (जिजीविषेच्) before śatam (शतम्). |
| śatam (शतम्) | accusative singular, neuter | A hundred. Heard chataṃ (छतं) after the c (च्). |
| samāḥ (समाः) | accusative plural, feminine | Years. |
| evam (एवम्) | indeclinable | Thus. Heard evaṃ (एवं). |
| tvayi (त्वयि) | locative singular | In you. For you. |
| na (न) | indeclinable | Not. Joins anyathā (अन्यथा): nānyathā (नान्यथा). |
| anyathā (अन्यथा) | indeclinable | Otherwise. |
| itaḥ (इतः) | ablative | From here, other than this. Heard ito (इतो) before asti (अस्ति). |
| asti (अस्ति) | present, third person singular | There is. The a (अ) drops: ito 'sti (इतोऽस्ति). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | Not. |
| karma (कर्म) | nominative singular, neuter | The rite. Action. |
| lipyate (लिप्यते) | present, third person singular, passive | Is smeared, sticks. From the root lip (लिप्). |
| nare (नरे) | locative singular, masculine | In the man. On the person. |
The phrases
Doing the rites here, one should wish to live a hundred years.
For you there is no other way than this. Action does not stick to the man.
Sanskrit in this line
Kurvan (कुर्वन्) plus eva (एव) is kurvann eva (कुर्वन्नेव). The nominative of the participle is already kurvan (कुर्वन्). Before a vowel that final n (न्) is doubled.
Jijīviṣet (जिजीविषेत्) plus śatam (शतम्). t (त्) plus ś (श्) is cch (च्छ्): jijīviṣec chatam (जिजीविषेच् छतम्).
Na (न) plus anyathā (अन्यथा) is nānyathā (नान्यथा). Itaḥ (इतः) plus asti (अस्ति) is ito 'sti (इतोऽस्ति).
Say it back
Say what he is doing, how long he wishes to live, and what does not stick.