The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 1.24 Be great
1.24
एतत् तुल्यं यदि मन्यसे वरं वृणीष्व वित्तं चिरजीविकां च ।
महाभूमौ नचिकेतस् त्वमेधि कामानां त्वा कामभाजं करोमि etat tulyaṃ yadi manyase varaṃ vṛṇīṣva vittaṃ cirajīvikāṃ ca |
mahābhūmau naciketas tvam edhi kāmānāṃ tvā kāmabhājaṃ karomi
The line
If you think of a boon equal to this, choose wealth and long life. Be great on the earth, Naciketas (नचिकेत). I make you the enjoyer of your desires.
नेपालीमा
यदि तिमी यस बराबरको वर सोच्छौ भने धन र लामो आयु रोज। हे नचिकेत, पृथ्वीमा महान् बन, म तिमीलाई तिम्रा इच्छाको भोगी बनाउँछु।
Where it sits
The boy has already said no other boon is equal. Death is testing that sentence with a concrete list.
Split: etat (एतत्) + tulyam (तुल्यम्) + yadi (यदि) + manyase (मन्यसे) + varam (वरम्) + vṛṇīṣva (वृणीष्व) + vittam (वित्तम्) + cira-jīvikām (चिर-जीविकाम्) + ca (च) + mahā-bhūmau (महा-भूमौ) + naciketaḥ (नचिकेतः) + tvam (त्वम्) + edhi (एधि) + kāmānām (कामानाम्) + tvā (त्वा) + kāma-bhājam (काम-भाजम्) + karomi (करोमि)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| etat (एतत्) | accusative singular, neuter | This. Heard etat (एतत्). |
| tulyam (तुल्यम्) | accusative singular, neuter | An equal. Heard tulyaṃ (तुल्यं). |
| yadi (यदि) | indeclinable | If. |
| manyase (मन्यसे) | present, second person singular | You think. |
| varam (वरम्) | accusative singular, masculine | A boon. Heard varaṃ (वरं). |
| vṛṇīṣva (वृणीष्व) | imperative | Choose. |
| vittam (वित्तम्) | accusative singular, neuter | Wealth. Heard vittaṃ (वित्तं). |
| cira-jīvikām (चिर-जीविकाम्) | accusative singular, feminine | A long life. Heard cirajīvikāṃ (चिरजीविकां). |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | And. |
| mahā-bhūmau (महा-भूमौ) | locative singular, feminine | On the great earth. |
| naciketaḥ (नचिकेतः) | vocative | Naciketas (नचिकेत). Heard naciketas (नचिकेत). |
| tvam (त्वम्) | nominative | You. |
| edhi (एधि) | imperative, second person singular | Be. From as (अस्). |
| kāmānām (कामानाम्) | genitive plural, masculine | Of desires. |
| tvā (त्वा) | accusative | You. |
| kāma-bhājam (काम-भाजम्) | accusative singular, masculine | An enjoyer of desires. Heard kāmabhājaṃ (कामभाजं). |
| karomi (करोमि) | present, first person singular | I make. |
The phrases
A conditional: if you think this equal, choose wealth and long life. Death offers to make him the enjoyer.
Sanskrit in this line
Cira-jīvikām (चिर-जीविकाम्) is one compound: long-living, as a noun, a long life.
Say it back
Say the condition, and what Death offers to make him.