The Upaniṣads / Īśāvāsya / 3 Sunless worlds
3
असुर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसावृताः ।
तांस् ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति ये के चात्महनो जनाः asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ |
tāṃs te pretyābhigacchanti ye ke cātmahano janāḥ
The line
Those worlds, called sunless, are covered by blind darkness. After death, whatever people kill the self go to them.
नेपालीमा
सूर्य नभएका भनिएका ती लोक अन्धो अन्धकारले छोपिएका छन्। मृत्युपछि आत्मालाई मार्ने जो मानिस छन् तिनीहरू त्यहीँ जान्छन्।
Where it sits
After the hundred years of mantra 2, this is the world of the other choice. Ātmahan (आत्महन्) is the mantra's word. It does not gloss itself. The next two mantras say what the one is that such a killing would miss.
Split: asuryāḥ (असुर्याः) + nāma (नाम) + te (ते) + lokāḥ (लोकाः) + andhena (अन्धेन) + tamasā (तमसा) + āvṛtāḥ (आवृताः) + tān (तान्) + te (ते) + pretya (प्रेत्य) + abhigacchanti (अभिगच्छन्ति) + ye (ये) + ke (के) + ca (च) + ātmahanāḥ (आत्महनाः) + janāḥ (जनाः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| asuryāḥ (असुर्याः) | nominative plural, masculine | Sunless, of the asuras (असुर). Heard asuryā (असुर्या) before nāma (नाम). |
| nāma (नाम) | indeclinable | By name. Indeed. |
| te (ते) | nominative plural, masculine | Those. |
| lokāḥ (लोकाः) | nominative plural, masculine | Worlds. |
| andhena (अन्धेन) | instrumental singular, neuter | By blind. Agrees with tamasā (तमसा). |
| tamasā (तमसा) | instrumental singular, neuter | By darkness. Joins āvṛtāḥ (आवृताः): tamasāvṛtāḥ (तमसावृताः). |
| āvṛtāḥ (आवृताः) | nominative plural, masculine | Covered. Agrees with lokāḥ (लोकाः). |
| tān (तान्) | accusative plural, masculine | Those worlds. Heard tāṃs (तांस्) before te (ते). |
| te (ते) | nominative plural | They. A second te (ते), the people. |
| pretya (प्रेत्य) | gerund | Having died. After death. |
| abhigacchanti (अभिगच्छन्ति) | present, third person plural | They go toward. Heard pretyābhigacchanti (प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति). |
| ye ke ca (ये के च) | nominative plural, masculine | Whoever. |
| ātmahanāḥ (आत्महनाः) | nominative plural, masculine | Killers of the self. ātma-han (आत्म-हन्). Heard cātmahano (चात्महनो): ca (च) plus ātma (आत्म) is cātma (चात्म). |
| janāḥ (जनाः) | nominative plural, masculine | People. |
The phrases
Those worlds are sunless, covered by blind darkness.
Whoever are people that kill the self go to those worlds after death.
Sanskrit in this line
Tamasā (तमसा) plus āvṛtāḥ (आवृताः) is tamasāvṛtāḥ (तमसावृताः). Short ā (आ) plus short ā (आ) is ā (आ).
Tān (तान्) plus te (ते) is tāṃs te (तांस् ते). Before t (त्), the anusvāra (अनुस्वार) of the accusative is heard as s (स्).
Pretya (प्रेत्य) plus abhigacchanti (अभिगच्छन्ति) is pretyābhigacchanti (प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति). Ca (च) plus ātma (आत्म) is cātma (चात्म).
Say it back
Say what covers those worlds, and who goes there.