The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 2.25 Death is the sauce
2.25
यस्य ब्रह्म च क्षत्रं च उभे भवत ओदनः ।
मृत्युर् यस्योपसेचनं क इत्था वेद यत्र सः yasya brahma ca kṣatraṃ ca ubhe bhavata odanaḥ |
mṛtyur yasyopasecanaṃ ka itthā veda yatra saḥ
The line
For whom priestly power and royal power, both, become the food, and for whom death is the sauce: who knows in this way where he is?
नेपालीमा
जसका लागि ब्राह्मण बल र क्षत्र बल दुवै भोजन हुन्छन् र जसका लागि मृत्यु व्यञ्जन हुन्छ, त्यो कहाँ छ भनेर यसरी कसले जान्छ?
Where it sits
The second vallī (वल्ली) ends on a question, not an answer. Brahma Sūtra (सूत्र) 1.2.9 takes this eater to be Brahman (ब्रह्मन्). The next vallī (वल्ली) opens with the two who drink, and then the chariot.
Split: yasya (यस्य) + brahma ca (ब्रह्म च) + kṣatram ca (क्षत्रम् च) + ubhe (उभे) + bhavataḥ (भवतः) + odanaḥ (ओदनः) + mṛtyuḥ (मृत्युः) + yasya (यस्य) + upasecanam (उपसेचनम्) + kaḥ (कः) + itthā (इत्था) + veda (वेद) + yatra (यत्र) + saḥ (सः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| yasya (यस्य) | genitive | Of whom. For whom. |
| brahma ca (ब्रह्म च) | priestly power, and | The brahman (ब्रह्मन्), the priestly estate. |
| kṣatram ca (क्षत्रम् च) | royal power, and | Heard kṣatraṃ ca (क्षत्रं च). |
| ubhe (उभे) | nominative dual | Both. |
| bhavataḥ (भवतः) | present, third dual | The two become. Heard bhavata (भवत). |
| odanaḥ (ओदनः) | nominative | Food. Rice. A meal. |
| mṛtyuḥ (मृत्युः) | nominative | Death. Heard mṛtyur (मृत्युर्). |
| yasya (यस्य) | of whom | Joins upasecanam (उपसेचनम्): yasyopasecanam (यस्योपसेचनम्). |
| upasecanam (उपसेचनम्) | nominative | The sauce, what is poured on. Heard upasecanaṃ (उपसेचनं). |
| kaḥ (कः) | who | Heard ka (क). |
| itthā (इत्था) | indeclinable | Thus. In this manner. |
| veda (वेद) | perfect | Knows. |
| yatra (यत्र) | where | Where. |
| saḥ (सः) | he | He is. |
The phrases
For whom both priestly power and royal power are the meal, and death is the sauce: who knows thus where he is?
Sanskrit in this line
Yasya (यस्य) plus upasecanam (उपसेचनम्) is yasyopasecanam (यस्योपसेचनम्). Bhavataḥ odanaḥ (भवतः ओदनः) is bhavata odanaḥ (भवत ओदनः).
Say it back
Say what the two powers are, and what death is, in the figure.