The Upaniṣads / Īśāvāsya / 9 Into darkness
9
अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽविद्यामुपासते ।
ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ विद्यायां रताः andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye 'vidyām upāsate |
tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyāṃ ratāḥ
The line
Into blind darkness they enter, who attend on unknowing. Into a darkness greater, as it were, those who delight in knowing.
नेपालीमा
अज्ञानको सेवा गर्नेहरू अन्धो अन्धकारमा पस्छन्। ज्ञानमा रमाउनेहरू मानौँ अझ ठूलो अन्धकारमा पस्छन्।
Where it sits
The Kāṇva (काण्व) order puts unknowing and knowing here, and becoming and destruction at 12–14. The Mādhyandina (माध्यन्दिन) order swaps those two blocks. The mantra is not praising one and blaming the other as a finished choice. Mantra 11 will say the one who knows both.
Split: andham (अन्धम्) + tamaḥ (तमः) + praviśanti (प्रविशन्ति) + ye (ये) + avidyām (अविद्याम्) + upāsate (उपासते) + tataḥ (ततः) + bhūyaḥ (भूयः) + iva (इव) + te (ते) + tamaḥ (तमः) + ye (ये) + u (उ) + vidyāyām (विद्यायाम्) + ratāḥ (रताः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| andham (अन्धम्) | accusative singular, neuter | Blind. Agrees with tamaḥ (तमः). Heard andhaṃ (अन्धं). |
| tamaḥ (तमः) | accusative singular, neuter | Darkness. |
| praviśanti (प्रविशन्ति) | present, third person plural | They enter. |
| ye (ये) | nominative plural, masculine | Who. |
| avidyām (अविद्याम्) | accusative singular, feminine | Unknowing. The a (अ) drops: ye 'vidyām (येऽविद्याम्). |
| upāsate (उपासते) | present, third person plural, ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद) | They worship, they attend on. From upa-ās (उप-आस्). |
| tataḥ (ततः) | indeclinable | Than that. Heard tato (ततो). |
| bhūyaḥ (भूयः) | indeclinable, or accusative | More. A greater darkness. |
| iva (इव) | indeclinable | As it were. |
| te (ते) | nominative plural | They. |
| tamaḥ (तमः) | accusative singular, neuter | Darkness, again. Heard tamo (तमो) before ya (य). |
| ye (ये) | nominative plural | Who. With u (उ): ya u (य उ). |
| u (उ) | indeclinable | And, on the other hand. |
| vidyāyām (विद्यायाम्) | locative singular, feminine | In knowing. Heard vidyāyāṃ (विद्यायां). |
| ratāḥ (रताः) | nominative plural, masculine | Delighting. Who take their pleasure there. |
The phrases
They enter blind darkness who worship avidyā (अविद्या).
Into a darkness greater, as it were, they enter who delight in vidyā (विद्या).
Sanskrit in this line
Ye (ये) plus avidyām (अविद्याम्) is ye 'vidyām (येऽविद्याम्). The a (अ) drops.
Tataḥ (ततः) before bhūyaḥ (भूयः) is tato (ततो). Tamaḥ (तमः) before ya (य) is tamo (तमो).
Say it back
Say who enters which darkness. Keep both groups.