The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 2.8 Not by an inferior
2.8
न नरेणावरेण प्रोक्त एष सुविज्ञेयो बहुधा चिन्त्यमानः ।
अनन्यप्रोक्ते गतिरत्र नास्त्यणीयान् ह्यतर्क्यमणुप्रमाणात् na nareṇāvareṇa prokta eṣa suvijñeyo bahudhā cintyamānaḥ |
ananyaprokte gatir atra nāsty aṇīyān hy atarkyam aṇupramāṇāt
The line
Proclaimed by a lesser man, this is not well known, thought of in many ways. When one who is not another has proclaimed it, there is no way aside from that. It is subtler than the measure of the subtle, for it is beyond mere argument.
नेपालीमा
अवर मानिसले घोषणा गर्दा यो राम्ररी जानिँदैन, यो धेरै किसिमले सोचिएको छ। अर्को नभएकोले घोषणा गर्दा त्यसबाट बाहेक बाटो हुँदैन, र यो सूक्ष्मको नापभन्दा सूक्ष्म छ, किनकि यो केवल तर्कभन्दा पर छ।
Where it sits
2.9 will say the understanding is not to be reached by reasoning. The boy is being told why the speaker had to be Death, and not a guess.
Split: na (न) + nareṇa avareṇa (नरेण अवरेण) + proktaḥ (प्रोक्तः) + eṣaḥ (एषः) + suvijñeyaḥ (सुविज्ञेयः) + bahudhā (बहुधा) + cintyamānaḥ (चिन्त्यमानः) + ananya-prokte (अनन्य-प्रोक्ते) + gatiḥ (गतिः) + atra (अत्र) + na asti (न अस्ति) + aṇīyān (अणीयान्) + hi (हि) + atarkyam (अतर्क्यम्) + aṇu-pramāṇāt (अणु-प्रमाणात्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| na (न) | not | Not. |
| nareṇa avareṇa (नरेण अवरेण) | by an inferior man | Heard nareṇāvareṇa (नरेणावरेण). |
| proktaḥ (प्रोक्तः) | nominative | Proclaimed. Heard prokta (प्रोक्त). |
| eṣaḥ (एषः) | nominative | This. Heard eṣa (एष). |
| suvijñeyaḥ (सुविज्ञेयः) | nominative | Easy to know. Heard suvijñeyo (सुविज्ञेयो). |
| bahudhā (बहुधा) | indeclinable | In many ways. |
| cintyamānaḥ (चिन्त्यमानः) | nominative | Being thought. |
| ananya-prokte (अनन्य-प्रोक्ते) | locative | When proclaimed by one who is not other. By a speaker who is not a lesser other. |
| gatiḥ (गतिः) | nominative | A way, a going. Heard gatir (गतिर्). |
| atra (अत्र) | here | Here. |
| na asti (न अस्ति) | there is not | Heard nāsti (नास्ति). |
| aṇīyān (अणीयान्) | nominative | Subtler. A comparative of aṇu (अणु). |
| hi (हि) | for | For. |
| atarkyam (अतर्क्यम्) | nominative | Not within mere reasoning. Heard atarkyam (अतर्क्यम्). |
| aṇu-pramāṇāt (अणु-प्रमाणात्) | ablative | Than what is of the measure of the subtle. Heard aṇupramāṇāt (अणुप्रमाणात्). |
The phrases
Proclaimed by an inferior man, and thought in many ways, this is not easy to know. Proclaimed by one who is not another, there is no further way. It is subtler than the subtle, and not a thing reasoning settles.
Sanskrit in this line
Nareṇa (नरेण) plus avareṇa (अवरेण) is nareṇāvareṇa (नरेणावरेण). Na asti (न अस्ति) is nāsti (नास्ति).
Say it back
Say what kind of speaker leaves no other way.