The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 3.16 Said and heard
3.16
नाचिकेतमुपाख्यानं मृत्युप्रोक्तं सनातनम् ।
उक्त्वा श्रुत्वा च मेधावी ब्रह्मलोके महीयते nāciketam upākhyānaṃ mṛtyuproktaṃ sanātanam |
uktvā śrutvā ca medhāvī brahmaloke mahīyate
The line
This ancient Nāciketa (नाचिकेत) telling, proclaimed by Death: having said it and heard it, one of intelligence is made great in the world of brahman (ब्रह्मन्).
नेपालीमा
मृत्युले भनेको यो प्राचीन नाचिकेत कथन भनेर र सुनेर मेधावी ब्रह्मन्को लोकमा महान् बनाइन्छ।
Where it sits
One mantra remains in the vallī (वल्ली). It is the rule for teaching the secret on.
Split: nāciketam upākhyānam (नाचिकेतमुपाख्यानम्) + mṛtyu-proktam (मृत्यु-प्रोक्तम्) + sanātanam (सनातनम्) + uktvā (उक्त्वा) + śrutvā ca (श्रुत्वा च) + medhāvī (मेधावी) + brahma-loke (ब्रह्म-लोके) + mahīyate (महीयते)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| nāciketam upākhyānam (नाचिकेतमुपाख्यानम्) | accusative singular, neuter | The Nāciketa (नाचिकेत) telling. Heard upākhyānaṃ (उपाख्यानं). |
| mṛtyu-proktam (मृत्यु-प्रोक्तम्) | accusative singular, neuter | Proclaimed by Death. Heard mṛtyuproktaṃ (मृत्युप्रोक्तं). |
| sanātanam (सनातनम्) | accusative singular, neuter | Ancient. |
| uktvā (उक्त्वा) | gerund | Having said. |
| śrutvā ca (श्रुत्वा च) | gerund | And having heard. |
| medhāvī (मेधावी) | nominative singular, masculine | One of intelligence. |
| brahma-loke (ब्रह्म-लोके) | locative singular, masculine | In the world of brahman (ब्रह्मन्). |
| mahīyate (महीयते) | present, third person singular, passive | He is made great. The verb of 2.17. |
The phrases
Saying it and hearing it, a person of intelligence is made great.
Sanskrit in this line
Mṛtyu-proktam (मृत्यु-प्रोक्तम्) is a compound: Death-proclaimed.
Say it back
Say the two gerunds.