The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 1.28 What ground
1.28
अजीर्यताममृतानामुपेत्य जीर्यन् मर्त्यः क्वधःस्थः प्रजानन् ।
अभिध्यायन् वर्णरतिप्रमोदानतिदीर्घे जीविते को रमेत ajīryatām amṛtānām upetya jīryan martyaḥ kvadhaḥsthaḥ prajānan |
abhidhyāyan varṇaratipramodān atidīrghe jīvite ko rameta
The line
Having approached those who do not age, the deathless, what aging mortal, knowing, standing on what ground, would delight in beauty, love, and joy, in a very long life?
नेपालीमा
नबुढाउने अमरहरूकहाँ पुगेपछि, जान्ने कुन बुढिने मर्त्य कुन आधारमा उभिएर अति लामो आयुमा रूप, प्रेम र आनन्दमा रमाउला?
Where it sits
The question answers Death's offer of autumns. The last mantra of the vallī (वल्ली) will name the boon once more and stop the bargaining.
Split: ajīryatām (अजीर्यताम्) + amṛtānām (अमृतानाम्) + upetya (उपेत्य) + jīryan (जीर्यन्) + martyaḥ (मर्त्यः) + kvadhaḥsthaḥ (क्वधःस्थः) + prajānan (प्रजानन्) + abhidhyāyan (अभिध्यायन्) + varṇa-rati-pramodān (वर्ण-रति-प्रमोदान्) + atidīrghe (अतिदीर्घे) + jīvite (जीविते) + kaḥ (कः) + rameta (रमेत)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ajīryatām (अजीर्यताम्) | genitive plural, masculine | Of those who do not age. |
| amṛtānām (अमृतानाम्) | genitive plural, masculine | Of the deathless. |
| upetya (उपेत्य) | gerund | Having come near. |
| jīryan (जीर्यन्) | nominative singular, masculine | Aging. A participle. |
| martyaḥ (मर्त्यः) | nominative singular, masculine | A mortal. Heard martyaḥ (मर्त्यः). |
| kvadhaḥsthaḥ (क्वधःस्थः) | nominative singular, masculine | Standing on what. This pāṭha (पाठ) is one word: kva (क्व), where, and a standing-place. Śaṅkara (शङ्कर) reads it as 'what is his resort.' |
| prajānan (प्रजानन्) | nominative singular, masculine | Knowing. |
| abhidhyāyan (अभिध्यायन्) | nominative singular, masculine | Thinking on. Meditating on. |
| varṇa-rati-pramodān (वर्ण-रति-प्रमोदान्) | accusative plural, masculine | Beauty, pleasure, and delight. |
| atidīrghe (अतिदीर्घे) | locative singular, neuter | In a very long. |
| jīvite (जीविते) | locative singular, neuter | In a life. |
| kaḥ (कः) | nominative singular, masculine | Who. Heard ko (को). |
| rameta (रमेत) | optative, third person singular | Would take pleasure. |
The phrases
A rhetorical question. Having come near the unaging and the deathless, what aging mortal, knowing, would delight in a very long life?
Sanskrit in this line
Kvadhaḥsthaḥ (क्वधःस्थः) is kept as the pāṭha (पाठ)'s single word. Do not replace it with a smoother sentence that is not in the line.
Say it back
Say who he has approached, and what the question doubts he could enjoy.