The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 2.2 The wise one chooses
2.2
श्रेयश् च प्रेयश् च मनुष्यमेतस् तौ संपरीत्य विविनक्ति धीरः ।
श्रेयो हि धीरोऽभि प्रेयसो वृणीते प्रेयो मन्दो योगक्षेमाद् वृणीते śreyaś ca preyaś ca manuṣyam etas tau saṃparītya vivinakti dhīraḥ |
śreyo hi dhīro 'bhi preyaso vṛṇīte preyo mando yogakṣemād vṛṇīte
The line
The better and the pleasanter both come to a human. Going up to them, the wise one tells them apart. The wise one chooses the better over the pleasanter. The dull one, from getting and keeping, chooses the pleasanter.
नेपालीमा
श्रेय र प्रेय दुवै मानिसकहाँ आउँछन्। तिनीहरूकहाँ पुगेर ज्ञानीले तिनीहरू छुट्याउँछ, ज्ञानीले प्रेयभन्दा श्रेय रोज्छ, र पाउने तथा जोगाउनेबाट मन्दले प्रेय रोज्छ।
Where it sits
This is Yama (यम)'s praise of the refusal in vallī (वल्ली) 1. The next mantra says the boy has let the pleasant forms go.
Split: śreyaḥ ca (श्रेयः च) + preyaḥ ca (प्रेयः च) + manuṣyam (मनुष्यम्) + etaḥ (एतः) + tau (तौ) + saṃparītya (संपरीत्य) + vivinakti (विविनक्ति) + dhīraḥ (धीरः) + śreyaḥ (श्रेयः) + hi (हि) + dhīraḥ (धीरः) + abhi (अभि) + preyasaḥ (प्रेयसः) + vṛṇīte (वृणीते) + preyaḥ (प्रेयः) + mandaḥ (मन्दः) + yoga-kṣemāt (योग-क्षेमात्) + vṛṇīte (वृणीते)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| śreyaḥ ca (श्रेयः च) | the better, and | Heard śreyaś ca (श्रेयश् च). |
| preyaḥ ca (प्रेयः च) | the pleasanter, and | Heard preyaś ca (प्रेयश् च). |
| manuṣyam (मनुष्यम्) | accusative singular, masculine | A human. Heard manuṣyam (मनुष्यम्). |
| etaḥ (एतः) | present, third person dual | The two come. This pāṭha (पाठ) has etas (एत), the dual verb. Heard etas (एत). |
| tau (तौ) | accusative dual | Those two. |
| saṃparītya (संपरीत्य) | gerund | Having approached, having gone around. |
| vivinakti (विविनक्ति) | present, third person singular | He distinguishes. From vi-vic (वि-विच्). |
| dhīraḥ (धीरः) | nominative singular, masculine | The wise, the steady one. |
| śreyaḥ (श्रेयः) | accusative | The better. Heard śreyo (श्रेयो). |
| hi (हि) | indeclinable | For. |
| dhīraḥ (धीरः) | nominative | The wise one. Heard dhīro (धीरो) before abhi (अभि). |
| abhi (अभि) | preverb | Toward. With vṛṇīte (वृणीते). |
| preyasaḥ (प्रेयसः) | ablative singular | Over the pleasanter. Rather than the pleasanter. |
| vṛṇīte (वृणीते) | present | He chooses. |
| preyaḥ (प्रेयः) | accusative | The pleasanter. Heard preyo (प्रेयो). |
| mandaḥ (मन्दः) | nominative singular, masculine | The slow, the dull. Heard mando (मन्दो). |
| yoga-kṣemāt (योग-क्षेमात्) | ablative singular, masculine | From getting and keeping. Heard yogakṣemād (योगक्षेमाद्). |
| vṛṇīte (वृणीते) | present | He chooses. |
The phrases
The wise one sorts the two. He chooses the better over the pleasanter. The dull one chooses the pleasanter out of getting and keeping.
Sanskrit in this line
Śreyaḥ ca (श्रेयः च) is śreyaś ca (श्रेयश् च). A visarga before ca (च) is heard as ś (श्). Yoga-kṣemāt (योग-क्षेमात्) before vṛṇīte (वृणीते) is yogakṣemād (योगक्षेमाद्).
Say it back
Say who tells them apart, and what the dull one chooses from.