The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 1.15 As it was said
1.15
लोकादिमग्निं तमुवाच तस्मै या इष्टका यावतीर् वा यथा वा ।
स चापि तत् प्रत्यवदद् यथोक्तमथास्य मृत्युः पुनराह तुष्टः lokādim agniṃ tam uvāca tasmai yā iṣṭakā yāvatīr vā yathā vā |
sa cāpi tat pratyavadad yathoktam athāsya mṛtyuḥ punar āha tuṣṭaḥ
The line
He told him that fire, the beginning of the worlds: which bricks, how many, and how. And he repeated it as it had been said. Then Death, pleased, spoke again.
नेपालीमा
उहाँले तिनलाई लोकहरूको आरम्भ त्यो अग्नि बताउनुभयो, कुन इँटा, कति र कसरी। तिनले भनिएअनुसार दोहोर्याए, अनि प्रसन्न हुनुभएका मृत्युले फेरि बोल्नुभयो।
Where it sits
The mantra reports the lesson and does not spell the bricks. The extra boon, the name of the fire, is the next mantra.
Split: loka-ādim (लोक-आदिम्) + agnim (अग्निम्) + tam (तम्) + uvāca (उवाच) + tasmai (तस्मै) + yāḥ (याः) + iṣṭakāḥ (इष्टकाः) + yāvatīḥ (यावतीः) + vā (वा) + yathā vā (यथा वा) + saḥ (सः) + ca api (च अपि) + tat (तत्) + pratyavadat (प्रत्यवदत्) + yathā-uktam (यथा-उक्तम्) + atha (अथ) + asya (अस्य) + mṛtyuḥ (मृत्युः) + punar (पुनर्) + āha (आह) + tuṣṭaḥ (तुष्टः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| loka-ādim (लोक-आदिम्) | accusative singular, masculine | The beginning of the worlds. Heard lokādim (लोकादिम्). |
| agnim (अग्निम्) | accusative singular, masculine | The fire. Heard agniṃ (अग्निं). |
| tam (तम्) | accusative singular, masculine | That. Heard tam (तम्). |
| uvāca (उवाच) | perfect, third person singular | He told. |
| tasmai (तस्मै) | dative singular, masculine | To him. |
| yāḥ (याः) | nominative plural, feminine | Which. Heard yā (या). |
| iṣṭakāḥ (इष्टकाः) | nominative plural, feminine | The bricks. Heard iṣṭakā (इष्टका). |
| yāvatīḥ (यावतीः) | nominative plural, feminine | How many. Heard yāvatīr (यावतीर्). |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | Or. And. |
| yathā vā (यथा वा) | indeclinable | And how. |
| saḥ (सः) | nominative singular, masculine | He. The boy. Heard sa (स). |
| ca api (च अपि) | and, also | Heard cāpi (चापि). |
| tat (तत्) | accusative singular, neuter | That. |
| pratyavadat (प्रत्यवदत्) | imperfect, third person singular | He repeated back. Heard pratyavadad (प्रत्यवदद्). |
| yathā-uktam (यथा-उक्तम्) | accusative singular, neuter | As it was said. Heard yathoktam (यथोक्तम्). |
| atha (अथ) | indeclinable | Then. Joins asya (अस्य): athāsya (अथास्य). |
| asya (अस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | Of him. |
| mṛtyuḥ (मृत्युः) | nominative singular, masculine | Death. |
| punar (पुनर्) | indeclinable | Again. |
| āha (आह) | perfect, third person singular | He said. |
| tuṣṭaḥ (तुष्टः) | nominative singular, masculine | Pleased. |
The phrases
The narration steps back. Death told the fire, the bricks, the number, the manner. The boy said it back. Death was pleased.
Sanskrit in this line
Loka (लोक) plus ādim (आदिम्) is lokādim (लोकादिम्). Atha (अथ) plus asya (अस्य) is athāsya (अथास्य). Yathā (यथा) plus uktam (उक्तम्) is yathoktam (यथोक्तम्).
Say it back
Say what the boy did with what he had been told.