The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 2.5 The blind leading
2.5
अविद्यायामन्तरे वर्तमानाः स्वयं धीराः पण्डितं मन्यमानाः ।
दन्द्रम्यमाणाः परियन्ति मूढा अन्धेनैव नीयमाना यथान्धाः avidyāyām antare vartamānāḥ svayaṃ dhīrāḥ paṇḍitaṃ manyamānāḥ |
dandramyamāṇāḥ pariyanti mūḍhā andhenaiva nīyamānā yathāndhāḥ
The line
Abiding in the midst of unknowing, thinking themselves wise and learned, the confused wander about, being led by a blind one, as the blind are.
नेपालीमा
अज्ञानको बीचमा बसेर आफूलाई ज्ञानी र विद्वान् ठान्ने अलमलिएकाहरू अन्धोले लगिएका अन्धोझैँ डुलिरहन्छन्।
Where it sits
This is the road of the pleasanter, described from the outside. The next mantra is the child who never sees the passing-on.
Split: avidyāyām (अविद्यायाम्) + antare (अन्तरे) + vartamānāḥ (वर्तमानाः) + svayam (स्वयम्) + dhīrāḥ (धीराः) + paṇḍitam (पण्डितम्) + manyamānāḥ (मन्यमानाः) + dandramyamāṇāḥ (दन्द्रम्यमाणाः) + pariyanti (परियन्ति) + mūḍhāḥ (मूढाः) + andhena eva (अन्धेन एव) + nīyamānāḥ (नीयमानाः) + yathā andhāḥ (यथा अन्धाः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| avidyāyām (अविद्यायाम्) | locative singular, feminine | In unknowing. |
| antare (अन्तरे) | locative singular, neuter | In the midst. |
| vartamānāḥ (वर्तमानाः) | nominative plural | Abiding. Heard vartamānāḥ (वर्तमानाः). |
| svayam (स्वयम्) | indeclinable | Themselves. |
| dhīrāḥ (धीराः) | nominative plural | Wise. As they suppose. |
| paṇḍitam (पण्डितम्) | accusative singular | Learned. Heard paṇḍitaṃ (पण्डितं). |
| manyamānāḥ (मन्यमानाः) | nominative plural | Thinking themselves. |
| dandramyamāṇāḥ (दन्द्रम्यमाणाः) | nominative plural | Wandering, staggering. |
| pariyanti (परियन्ति) | present, third person plural | They go about. From pari-i (परि-इ). |
| mūḍhāḥ (मूढाः) | nominative plural | Confused. Heard mūḍhā (मूढा). |
| andhena eva (अन्धेन एव) | by a blind one, indeed | Heard andhenaiva (अन्धेनैव). |
| nīyamānāḥ (नीयमानाः) | nominative plural | Being led. Heard nīyamānā (नीयमाना). |
| yathā andhāḥ (यथा अन्धाः) | as the blind | Heard yathāndhāḥ (यथान्धाः). |
The phrases
A picture of people inside unknowing who think themselves learned, led like the blind by the blind.
Sanskrit in this line
Yathā (यथा) plus andhāḥ (अन्धाः) is yathāndhāḥ (यथान्धाः). Andhena (अन्धेन) plus eva (एव) is andhenaiva (अन्धेनैव).
Say it back
Say what they think themselves, and who leads them.