The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 1.13 The second boon
1.13
स त्वमग्निं स्वर्ग्यमध्येषि मृत्यो प्रब्रूहि तं श्रद्दधानाय मह्यम् ।
स्वर्गलोका अमृतत्वं भजन्त एतद् द्वितीयेन वृणे वरेण sa tvam agniṃ svargyam adhyeṣi mṛtyo prabrūhi taṃ śraddadhānāya mahyam |
svargalokā amṛtatvaṃ bhajanta etad dvitīyena vṛṇe vareṇa
The line
You know the fire that leads to heaven, O Death. Tell it to me, who have faith. Those of the heavenly world partake of deathlessness. This I choose by the second boon.
नेपालीमा
हे मृत्यु, स्वर्ग लैजाने अग्नि तपाईं जान्नुहुन्छ, श्रद्धा भएको मलाई त्यो भन्नुहोस्। स्वर्गलोकका मानिसहरू अमरत्व पाउँछन्, र दोस्रो वरले म यही रोज्छु।
Where it sits
The first boon was the father. This is the rite. Yama (यम) will teach the fire and name it after the boy.
Split: saḥ tvam (सः त्वम्) + agnim (अग्निम्) + svargyam (स्वर्ग्यम्) + adhyeṣi (अध्येषि) + mṛtyo (मृत्यो) + prabrūhi (प्रब्रूहि) + tam (तम्) + śraddadhānāya (श्रद्दधानाय) + mahyam (मह्यम्) + svarga-lokāḥ (स्वर्ग-लोकाः) + amṛtatvam (अमृतत्वम्) + bhajante (भजन्ते) + etat (एतत्) + dvitīyena (द्वितीयेन) + vṛṇe (वृणे) + vareṇa (वरेण)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| saḥ tvam (सः त्वम्) | nominative | You, that very one. Heard sa tvam (स त्वम्). |
| agnim (अग्निम्) | accusative singular, masculine | The fire. Heard agniṃ (अग्निं). |
| svargyam (स्वर्ग्यम्) | accusative singular, masculine | Leading to heaven. Agrees with agnim (अग्निम्). |
| adhyeṣi (अध्येषि) | present, second person singular | You know, you study. From adhi-i (अधि-इ). |
| mṛtyo (मृत्यो) | vocative singular, masculine | O Death. |
| prabrūhi (प्रब्रूहि) | imperative, second person singular | Tell. From pra-brū (प्र-ब्रू). |
| tam (तम्) | accusative singular, masculine | It. The fire. Heard taṃ (तं). |
| śraddadhānāya (श्रद्दधानाय) | dative singular, masculine | To one who has faith. Agrees with mahyam (मह्यम्). |
| mahyam (मह्यम्) | dative singular | To me. |
| svarga-lokāḥ (स्वर्ग-लोकाः) | nominative plural, masculine | Those in heaven. Heard svargalokā (स्वर्गलोका). |
| amṛtatvam (अमृतत्वम्) | accusative singular, neuter | Deathlessness. Heard amṛtatvaṃ (अमृतत्वं). |
| bhajante (भजन्ते) | present, third person plural | They partake. Heard bhajanta (भजन्त) in this pāṭha (पाठ), the plural verb of that world. |
| etat (एतत्) | accusative singular, neuter | This. Heard etad (एतद्) before dvitīyena (द्वितीयेन). |
| dvitīyena (द्वितीयेन) | instrumental singular, masculine | By the second. Agrees with vareṇa (वरेण). |
| vṛṇe (वृणे) | present, first person singular | I choose. |
| vareṇa (वरेण) | instrumental singular, masculine | By the boon. |
The phrases
An imperative, prabrūhi (प्रब्रूहि), and then the naming of this request as the second boon.
Sanskrit in this line
Agnim svargyam (अग्निम् स्वर्ग्यम्) is agniṃ svargyam (अग्निं स्वर्ग्यम्). Etat (एतत्) plus dvitīyena (द्वितीयेन) is etad dvitīyena (एतद् द्वितीयेन).
Say it back
Say which boon, and what he asks to be told.