The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 5.1 Eleven gates
5.1
पुरमेकादशद्वारमजस्यावक्रचेतसः ।
अनुष्ठाय न शोचति विमुक्तश् च विमुच्यते ।
एतद् वै तत् puram ekādaśadvāram ajasyāvakracetasaḥ |
anuṣṭhāya na śocati vimuktaś ca vimucyate |
etad vai tat
The line
The city of eleven gates, of the unborn whose mind is not crooked: having practiced, one does not grieve, and released, he is released. This, indeed, is that.
नेपालीमा
मन नबाङ्गिएको अजन्माको एघार ढोकाको नगर, अभ्यास गरेपछि मानिस शोक गर्दैन र मुक्त भएर ऊ मुक्त हुन्छ। यही नै त्यो हो।
Where it sits
The gates are not listed. The sitting does not invent the eleven. The next mantra is the hymn of the goose, an old verse set here as another name of that.
Split: puram (पुरम्) + ekādaśa-dvāram (एकादश-द्वारम्) + ajasya (अजस्य) + avakra-cetasaḥ (अवक्र-चेतसः) + anuṣṭhāya (अनुष्ठाय) + na śocati (न शोचति) + vimuktaḥ ca (विमुक्तः च) + vimucyate (विमुच्यते) + etat vai tat (एतत् वै तत्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| puram (पुरम्) | accusative | A city. Heard puram (पुरम्). |
| ekādaśa-dvāram (एकादश-द्वारम्) | accusative | Of eleven gates. |
| ajasya (अजस्य) | genitive | Of the unborn. |
| avakra-cetasaḥ (अवक्र-चेतसः) | genitive | Of uncrooked mind. |
| anuṣṭhāya (अनुष्ठाय) | gerund | Having attended, having practiced. |
| na śocati (न शोचति) | he does not grieve | Present. |
| vimuktaḥ ca (विमुक्तः च) | and released | Heard vimuktaś ca (विमुक्तश् च). |
| vimucyate (विमुच्यते) | present, passive | He is released. |
| etat vai tat (एतत् वै तत्) | the refrain | This is that. |
The phrases
The city of the unborn has eleven gates. Attending to it, one does not grieve, and being freed, he is freed.
Sanskrit in this line
Ajasya avakra-cetasaḥ (अजस्य अवक्र-चेतसः) is ajasyāvakracetasaḥ (अजस्यावक्रचेतसः).
Say it back
Say how many gates, and what he does not do.