The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 1.10 The first boon
1.10
शान्तसङ्कल्पः सुमना यथा स्याद् वीतमन्युर् गौतमो माभि मृत्यो ।
त्वत्प्रसृष्टं माभिवदेत् प्रतीत एतत् त्रयाणां प्रथमं वरं वृणे śāntasaṅkalpaḥ sumanā yathā syād vītamanyur gautamo mābhi mṛtyo |
tvatprasṛṣṭaṃ mābhivadet pratīta etat trayāṇāṃ prathamaṃ varaṃ vṛṇe
The line
That Gautama (गौतम) be calmed in his resolve, well-minded, his anger toward me gone, O Death, and that, released by you, he greet me as one who understands: this I choose as the first of the three boons.
नेपालीमा
हे मृत्यु, गौतम संकल्पमा शान्त होस्, मन राम्रो होस्, मप्रतिको रिस जाओस्, र तपाईंले छोडेपछि तिनले मलाई बुझ्नेका रूपमा अभिवादन गरून्। तीन वरमध्ये पहिलो यही रोज्छु।
Where it sits
The boy does not ask to be unsold. He asks that the father be no longer angry, and that the father recognize him. Yama (यम) grants it in the next mantra.
Split: śānta-saṅkalpaḥ (शान्त-सङ्कल्पः) + sumanāḥ (सुमनाः) + yathā (यथा) + syāt (स्यात्) + vīta-manyuḥ (वीत-मन्युः) + gautamaḥ (गौतमः) + mā (मा) + abhi (अभि) + mṛtyo (मृत्यो) + tvat-prasṛṣṭam (त्वत्-प्रसृष्टम्) + mā (मा) + abhivadet (अभिवदेत्) + pratītaḥ (प्रतीतः) + etat (एतत्) + trayāṇām (त्रयाणाम्) + prathamam (प्रथमम्) + varam (वरम्) + vṛṇe (वृणे)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| śānta-saṅkalpaḥ (शान्त-सङ्कल्पः) | nominative singular, masculine | His resolve calmed. Heard śāntasaṅkalpaḥ (शान्तसङ्कल्पः). |
| sumanāḥ (सुमनाः) | nominative singular, masculine | Well-minded. Heard sumanā (सुमना). |
| yathā (यथा) | indeclinable | So that. |
| syāt (स्यात्) | optative, third person singular | He may be. Heard syād (स्याद्). |
| vīta-manyuḥ (वीत-मन्युः) | nominative singular, masculine | His anger gone. Heard vītamanyur (वीतमन्युर्). |
| gautamaḥ (गौतमः) | nominative singular, masculine | Gautama (गौतम), the father. Heard gautamo (गौतमो). |
| mā (मा) | accusative singular | Toward me. Joins abhi (अभि): the line is mābhi (माभि), mā (मा) plus abhi (अभि). |
| abhi (अभि) | indeclinable | Toward. |
| mṛtyo (मृत्यो) | vocative singular, masculine | O Death. |
| tvat-prasṛṣṭam (त्वत्-प्रसृष्टम्) | accusative singular, masculine | Released by you. Heard tvatprasṛṣṭaṃ (त्वत्प्रसृष्टं). |
| mā (मा) | accusative singular | Me. Joins abhivadet (अभिवदेत्): mābhivadet (माभिवदेत्). |
| abhivadet (अभिवदेत्) | optative, third person singular | He may greet, he may address. |
| pratītaḥ (प्रतीतः) | nominative singular, masculine | One who has understood, who is glad. Heard pratīta (प्रतीत). |
| etat (एतत्) | accusative singular, neuter | This. Heard etat (एतत्). |
| trayāṇām (त्रयाणाम्) | genitive plural | Of the three. |
| prathamam (प्रथमम्) | accusative singular, neuter | The first. Heard prathamaṃ (प्रथमं). |
| varam (वरम्) | accusative singular, masculine | Boon. Heard varaṃ (वरं). |
| vṛṇe (वृणे) | present, first person singular, ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद) | I choose. |
The phrases
A wish for the father, then the naming of the wish as the first of three.
Sanskrit in this line
Mā (मा) plus abhi (अभि) is mābhi (माभि). Mā (मा) plus abhivadet (अभिवदेत्) is mābhivadet (माभिवदेत्). Syāt (स्यात्) before vīta (वीत) is syād (स्याद्).
Say it back
Say what he wants from the father, and which boon this is.