The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 3.5 Bad horses
3.5
यस् त्वविज्ञानवान् भवत्ययुक्तेन मनसा सदा ।
तस्येन्द्रियाण्यवश्यानि दुष्टाश्वा इव सारथेः yas tv avijñānavān bhavaty ayuktena manasā sadā |
tasyendriyāṇy avaśyāni duṣṭāśvā iva sāratheḥ
The line
Whoever lacks understanding, always with an undisciplined mind: his senses are not in his power, like bad horses for a driver.
नेपालीमा
जसलाई बुझाइ छैन, सधैँ अनुशासनहीन मन लिएर, उसका इन्द्रिय उसको वशमा हुँदैनन्, सारथिका नराम्रा घोडाझैं।
Where it sits
The driver was the intellect in 3.3. The failure here is named as no vijñāna (विज्ञान) and an unyoked mind. 3.6 removes the privatives.
Split: yaḥ tu (यः तु) + avijñānavān (अविज्ञानवान्) + bhavati (भवति) + ayuktena (अयुक्तेन) + manasā (मनसा) + sadā (सदा) + tasya (तस्य) + indriyāṇi (इन्द्रियाणि) + avaśyāni (अवश्यानि) + duṣṭa-aśvāḥ (दुष्ट-अश्वाः) + iva (इव) + sāratheḥ (सारथेः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| yaḥ tu (यः तु) | nominative singular, masculine | Whoever. Heard yas tu (यस् तु). |
| avijñānavān (अविज्ञानवान्) | nominative singular, masculine | Without understanding. |
| bhavati (भवति) | present, third person singular | He is. Heard bhavaty (भवत्य्) before ayuktena (अयुक्तेन). |
| ayuktena (अयुक्तेन) | instrumental singular, neuter | Unyoked, undisciplined. Agrees with manasā (मनसा). |
| manasā (मनसा) | instrumental singular, neuter | By the mind. With the mind. |
| sadā (सदा) | indeclinable | Always. |
| tasya (तस्य) | genitive singular, masculine | Of him. Joins indriyāṇi (इन्द्रियाणि): tasyendriyāṇi (तस्येन्द्रियाणि). |
| indriyāṇi (इन्द्रियाणि) | nominative plural, neuter | The senses. Heard indriyāṇy (इन्द्रियाण्य्) before avaśyāni (अवश्यानि). |
| avaśyāni (अवश्यानि) | nominative plural, neuter | Not in his power. |
| duṣṭa-aśvāḥ (दुष्ट-अश्वाः) | nominative plural, masculine | Bad horses. Heard duṣṭāśvā (दुष्टाश्वा). |
| iva (इव) | indeclinable | Like. |
| sāratheḥ (सारथेः) | genitive singular, masculine | For a driver. Of a driver. |
The phrases
No understanding, an undisciplined mind, senses out of hand, like bad horses.
Sanskrit in this line
Bhavati ayuktena (भवति अयुक्तेन) is bhavaty ayuktena (भवत्ययुक्तेन). Tasya indriyāṇi (तस्य इन्द्रियाणि) is tasyendriyāṇi (तस्येन्द्रियाणि). Duṣṭa (दुष्ट) plus aśva (अश्व) is duṣṭāśva (दुष्टाश्व).
Say it back
Say what the senses are like.