The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 3.1 The two who drink
3.1
ऋतं पिबन्तौ सुकृतस्य लोके गुहां प्रविष्टौ परमे परार्धे ।
छायातपौ ब्रह्मविदो वदन्ति पञ्चाग्नयो ये च त्रिणाचिकेताः ṛtaṃ pibantau sukṛtasya loke guhāṃ praviṣṭau parame parārdhe |
chāyātapau brahmavido vadanti pañcāgnayo ye ca triṇāciketāḥ
The line
The two drink what is rightly done, in the world of good work, entered into the cave on the highest far side. Knowers of brahman (ब्रह्मन्), those of the five fires, and those of the triple Nāciketa (नाचिकेत) call them shadow and light.
नेपालीमा
दुई जना असल कर्मको लोकमा, सर्वोच्च टाढा छेउको गुफामा पसेर, ठीक गरिएको कुरा पिउँछन्। ब्रह्मन्का ज्ञाता, पाँच अग्निका र तीन नाचिकेतका मानिसले तिनीहरूलाई छाया र प्रकाश भन्छन्।
Where it sits
Brahma Sūtra (सूत्र) 1.2.11 takes up this pair. Śaṅkara (शङ्कर) reads the two as the individual and the supreme. Rāmānuja (रामानुज) reads both as real persons in the heart. Madhva (मध्व) reads them as different without remainder. The sūtra (सूत्र) sitting says so. The chariot begins at 3.3.
Split: ṛtam (ऋतम्) + pibantau (पिबन्तौ) + sukṛtasya (सुकृतस्य) + loke (लोके) + guhām (गुहाम्) + praviṣṭau (प्रविष्टौ) + parame parārdhe (परमे परार्धे) + chāyā-ātapau (छाया-आतपौ) + brahmavidaḥ (ब्रह्मविदः) + vadanti (वदन्ति) + pañcāgnayaḥ (पञ्चाग्नयः) + ye ca (ये च) + tri-nāciketāḥ (त्रि-नाचिकेताः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ṛtam (ऋतम्) | accusative singular, neuter | What is rightly done. Heard ṛtaṃ (ऋतं). |
| pibantau (पिबन्तौ) | nominative dual, masculine | The two, drinking. |
| sukṛtasya (सुकृतस्य) | genitive singular, neuter | Of good work. |
| loke (लोके) | locative singular, masculine | In the world. |
| guhām (गुहाम्) | accusative singular, feminine | The cave. Heard guhāṃ (गुहां). |
| praviṣṭau (प्रविष्टौ) | nominative dual, masculine | The two, entered. |
| parame parārdhe (परमे परार्धे) | locative singular, masculine | In the highest far half. |
| chāyā-ātapau (छाया-आतपौ) | nominative dual, masculine | Shadow and light. Heard chāyātapau (छायातपौ). |
| brahmavidaḥ (ब्रह्मविदः) | nominative plural, masculine | Knowers of brahman (ब्रह्मन्). Heard brahmavido (ब्रह्मविदो). |
| vadanti (वदन्ति) | present, third person plural | They say. |
| pañcāgnayaḥ (पञ्चाग्नयः) | nominative plural, masculine | Those of the five fires. Heard pañcāgnayo (पञ्चाग्नयो). |
| ye ca (ये च) | nominative plural | And who. |
| tri-nāciketāḥ (त्रि-नाचिकेताः) | nominative plural, masculine | Those of the triple Nāciketa (नाचिकेत). |
The phrases
A dual subject drinks and has entered the cave. Knowers call the two shadow and light.
Sanskrit in this line
Chāyā (छाया) plus ātapau (आतपौ) is chāyātapau (छायातपौ). The nominative dual is what makes them a pair.
Say it back
Say what the two are doing, and the two names they are given.