The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 1.5 Among many
1.5
बहूनामेमि प्रथमो बहूनामेमि मध्यमः ।
किं स्विद् यमस्य कर्तव्यं यन् मयाद्य करिष्यति bahūnām emi prathamo bahūnām emi madhyamaḥ |
kiṃ svid yamasya kartavyaṃ yan mayādya kariṣyati
The line
Of many I go first. Of many I go in the middle. What, indeed, has Yama (यम) to do, that he will do by me today?
नेपालीमा
धेरैमध्ये म अघि जान्छु। धेरैमध्ये म बीचमा जान्छु, आज यमको के काम छ, जुन उहाँले मबाट गर्नुहुनेछ?
Where it sits
He is on the way. He has not arrived. The next mantra is still his thought, about mortals and grain.
Split: bahūnām (बहूनाम्) + emi (एमि) + prathamaḥ (प्रथमः) + madhyamaḥ (मध्यमः) + kim (किम्) + svit (स्वित्) + yamasya (यमस्य) + kartavyam (कर्तव्यम्) + yat (यत्) + mayā (मया) + adya (अद्य) + kariṣyati (करिष्यति)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| bahūnām (बहूनाम्) | genitive plural, masculine | Of many. |
| emi (एमि) | present, first person singular | I go. From i (इ). |
| prathamaḥ (प्रथमः) | nominative singular, masculine | First. Heard prathamo (प्रथमो) before the next bahūnām (बहूनाम्). |
| madhyamaḥ (मध्यमः) | nominative singular, masculine | In the middle. |
| kim (किम्) | nominative singular, neuter | What. Heard kiṃ (किं). |
| svit (स्वित्) | indeclinable | The wondering particle. Heard svid (स्विद्). |
| yamasya (यमस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | Of Yama (यम). Of Death. |
| kartavyam (कर्तव्यम्) | nominative singular, neuter | To be done. Heard kartavyaṃ (कर्तव्यं). |
| yat (यत्) | nominative singular, neuter | Which. Heard yan (यन्) before mayā (मया). |
| mayā (मया) | instrumental singular | By me. Joins adya (अद्य): mayādya (मयाद्य). |
| adya (अद्य) | indeclinable | Today. |
| kariṣyati (करिष्यति) | future, third person singular | He will do. From kṛ (कृ). |
The phrases
Two claims about his place among many, then a question about what Death will accomplish by means of him.
Sanskrit in this line
Yat (यत्) plus mayā (मया) is yan mayā (यन् मया). A final t (त्) before m (म्) is heard as n (न्). Mayā (मया) plus adya (अद्य) is mayādya (मयाद्य).
Say it back
Say the question he asks about Yama (यम).