The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 3.11 Nothing beyond
3.11
महतः परमव्यक्तमव्यक्तात् पुरुषः परः ।
पुरुषान् न परं किंचित् सा काष्ठा सा परा गतिः mahataḥ param avyaktam avyaktāt puruṣaḥ paraḥ |
puruṣān na paraṃ kiṃcit sā kāṣṭhā sā parā gatiḥ
The line
Higher than the great is the unmanifest. Higher than the unmanifest is the person. Than the person there is nothing higher. That is the limit. That is the highest course.
नेपालीमा
महान्भन्दा माथि अव्यक्त छ, अव्यक्तभन्दा माथि पुरुष छ, र पुरुषभन्दा माथि केही छैन। त्यो सीमा हो, र त्यो सर्वोच्च गति हो।
Where it sits
The electronic pāṭha (पाठ) had written puruśān (पुरुशान्). The word is puruṣāt (पुरुषात्) plus na (न), heard puruṣān na (पुरुषान् न). Brahma Sūtra (सूत्र) 1.4.1 through 1.4.7 is this series. Those sittings say how Śaṅkara (शङ्कर), Rāmānuja (रामानुज), and Madhva (मध्व) each take avyakta (अव्यक्त). The series here is still inside the chariot's body.
Split: mahataḥ (महतः) + param (परम्) + avyaktam (अव्यक्तम्) + avyaktāt (अव्यक्तात्) + puruṣaḥ (पुरुषः) + paraḥ (परः) + puruṣāt (पुरुषात्) + na (न) + param (परम्) + kiṃcit (किंचित्) + sā kāṣṭhā (सा काष्ठा) + sā parā gatiḥ (सा परा गतिः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| mahataḥ (महतः) | ablative singular, masculine | Than the great. |
| param (परम्) | nominative singular, neuter | Higher. Heard param (परम्). |
| avyaktam (अव्यक्तम्) | nominative singular, neuter | The unmanifest. |
| avyaktāt (अव्यक्तात्) | ablative singular, neuter | Than the unmanifest. |
| puruṣaḥ (पुरुषः) | nominative singular, masculine | The person. |
| paraḥ (परः) | nominative singular, masculine | Higher. |
| puruṣāt (पुरुषात्) | ablative singular, masculine | Than the person. Heard puruṣān (पुरुषान्) before na (न). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | Not. |
| param (परम्) | nominative singular, neuter | A higher. Heard paraṃ (परं). |
| kiṃcit (किंचित्) | nominative singular, neuter | Anything. |
| sā kāṣṭhā (सा काष्ठा) | nominative singular, feminine | That limit. The goal-post. |
| sā parā gatiḥ (सा परा गतिः) | nominative singular, feminine | That highest course. |
The phrases
Unmanifest above the great. The person above the unmanifest. Nothing above the person.
Sanskrit in this line
Puruṣāt na (पुरुषात् न) is puruṣān na (पुरुषान् न). A final t (त्) before n (न्) is heard as n (न्).
Say it back
Say what is above the unmanifest, and what is above the person.