The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 4.15 Water into water
4.15
यथोदकं शुद्धे शुद्धमासिक्तं तादृगेव भवति ।
एवं मुनेर् विजानत आत्मा भवति गौतम yathodakaṃ śuddhe śuddham āsiktaṃ tādṛg eva bhavati |
evaṃ muner vijānata ātmā bhavati gautama
The line
As pure water poured into pure becomes just that, so the self of the sage who knows becomes, Gautama (गौतम).
नेपालीमा
शुद्धमा खन्याइएको शुद्ध पानी त्यही भएझैँ, जान्ने मुनिको आत्मा त्यस्तै हुन्छ, गौतम।
Where it sits
The fourth vallī (वल्ली) ends on the boy's family name. The image undoes the running-off of 4.14. Vallī (वल्ली) 5 opens on a city of eleven gates.
Split: yathā udakam (यथा उदकम्) + śuddhe śuddham (शुद्धे शुद्धम्) + āsiktam (आसिक्तम्) + tādṛk eva bhavati (तादृकेव भवति) + evam (एवम्) + muneḥ vijānataḥ (मुनेः विजानतः) + ātmā bhavati (आत्मा भवति) + gautama (गौतम)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| yathā udakam (यथा उदकम्) | as water | Heard yathodakam (यथोदकम्). |
| śuddhe śuddham (शुद्धे शुद्धम्) | pure into pure | Locative and nominative. |
| āsiktam (आसिक्तम्) | poured | Heard āsiktaṃ (आसिक्तं). |
| tādṛk eva bhavati (तादृकेव भवति) | it becomes just such | Heard tādṛg eva (तादृगेव). |
| evam (एवम्) | so | So. |
| muneḥ vijānataḥ (मुनेः विजानतः) | of a sage who knows | Heard muner vijānata (मुनेर् विजानत). |
| ātmā bhavati (आत्मा भवति) | the self becomes | Present. |
| gautama (गौतम) | vocative | Gautama (गौतम). The boy, by the father's name. |
The phrases
Pure water poured into pure water becomes that. So the self of a knowing sage becomes, Gautama (गौतम).
Sanskrit in this line
Yathā udakam (यथा उदकम्) is yathodakam (यथोदकम्). Muneḥ (मुनेः) is muner (मुनेर्).
Say it back
Say the image, and whom Death is addressing.