The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 3.6 Good horses
3.6
यस् तु विज्ञानवान् भवति युक्तेन मनसा सदा ।
तस्येन्द्रियाणि वश्यानि सदश्वा इव सारथेः yas tu vijñānavān bhavati yuktena manasā sadā |
tasyendriyāṇi vaśyāni sadaśvā iva sāratheḥ
The line
Whoever has understanding, always with a disciplined mind: his senses are in his power, like good horses for a driver.
नेपालीमा
जसलाई बुझाइ छ, सधैँ अनुशासित मन लिएर, उसका इन्द्रिय उसको वशमा हुन्छन्, सारथिका राम्रा घोडाझैं।
Where it sits
Yoga Sūtra (सूत्र) 2.55 is the highest obedience of the senses. These vaśyāni (वश्यानि) senses are that obedience, said with horses.
Split: yaḥ tu (यः तु) + vijñānavān (विज्ञानवान्) + bhavati (भवति) + yuktena manasā (युक्तेन मनसा) + sadā (सदा) + tasya indriyāṇi (तस्य इन्द्रियाणि) + vaśyāni (वश्यानि) + sat-aśvāḥ (सत्-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). |
| vijñānavān (विज्ञानवान्) | nominative singular, masculine | Possessing understanding. |
| bhavati (भवति) | present, third person singular | He is. |
| yuktena manasā (युक्तेन मनसा) | instrumental singular, neuter | With a yoked, disciplined mind. |
| sadā (सदा) | indeclinable | Always. |
| tasya indriyāṇi (तस्य इन्द्रियाणि) | genitive, nominative plural | His senses. Heard tasyendriyāṇi (तस्येन्द्रियाणि). |
| vaśyāni (वश्यानि) | nominative plural, neuter | In his power. |
| sat-aśvāḥ (सत्-अश्वाः) | nominative plural, masculine | Good horses. Heard sadaśvā (सदश्वा). |
| iva (इव) | indeclinable | Like. |
| sāratheḥ (सारथेः) | genitive singular, masculine | For a driver. |
The phrases
The grammar of 3.5, with the privatives gone.
Sanskrit in this line
Sat (सत्) plus aśvāḥ (अश्वाः) is sadaśvāḥ (सदश्वाः). The t (त्) of sat (सत्) becomes d (द्) before the vowel, and the a (अ) of aśva (अश्व) stays: sadaśvā (सदश्वा).
Say it back
Say the one change that makes the horses good.