The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 4.14 Rain on the peaks
4.14
यथोदकं दुर्गे वृष्टं पर्वतेषु विधावति ।
एवं धर्मान् पृथक् पश्यंस् तानेवानु विधावति yathodakaṃ durge vṛṣṭaṃ parvateṣu vidhāvati |
evaṃ dharmān pṛthak paśyaṃs tān evānu vidhāvati
The line
As water rained on a hard place runs down the mountains, so, seeing the ways as separate, he runs after just those.
नेपालीमा
कडा ठाउँमा परेको पानी पहाडबाट बगेझैँ, बाटाहरूलाई अलग देखेर ऊ ती नै पछि दगुर्छ।
Where it sits
The opposite is the next mantra: water poured into water. Dharmān (धर्मान्) here are the separate tracks, not a list of duties spelled out.
Split: yathā udakam (यथा उदकम्) + durge vṛṣṭam (दुर्गे वृष्टम्) + parvateṣu vidhāvati (पर्वतेषु विधावति) + evam (एवम्) + dharmān pṛthak paśyan (धर्मान् पृथक् पश्यन्) + tān eva anu vidhāvati (तानेव अनु विधावति)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| yathā udakam (यथा उदकम्) | as water | Heard yathodakam (यथोदकम्). |
| durge vṛṣṭam (दुर्गे वृष्टम्) | rained on a hard place | Heard durge vṛṣṭaṃ (दुर्गे वृष्टं). |
| parvateṣu vidhāvati (पर्वतेषु विधावति) | runs off along the peaks | Present. |
| evam (एवम्) | so | So. |
| dharmān pṛthak paśyan (धर्मान् पृथक् पश्यन्) | seeing the natures as separate | Heard paśyaṃs (पश्यंस्). |
| tān eva anu vidhāvati (तानेव अनु विधावति) | he runs after just those | Heard tān evānu vidhāvati (तानेवानु विधावति). |
The phrases
As rain on rock runs off the peaks, so one who sees the qualities as separate runs after them.
Sanskrit in this line
Yathā udakam (यथा उदकम्) is yathodakam (यथोदकम्). Tān eva anu (तानेव अनु) is tān evānu (तानेवानु).
Say it back
Say what the water does, and what the seer of separates does.