The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 5.2 The goose
5.2
हंसः शुचिषद् वसुरन्तरिक्षसद् धोता वेदिषदतिथिर् दुरोणसत् ।
नृषद् वरसदृतसद् व्योमसदब्जा गोजा ऋतजा अद्रिजा ऋतं बृहत् haṃsaḥ śuciṣad vasur antarikṣasad dhotā vediṣad atithir duroṇasat |
nṛṣad varasad ṛtasad vyomasad abjā gojā ṛtajā adrijā ṛtaṃ bṛhat
The line
The goose sitting in the clear, the good one in the midspace, the invoker on the altar, the guest in the house, sitting among men, in the excellent, in the right, in the sky, born of the waters, of the rays, of the right, of the mountain: the right, the great.
नेपालीमा
निर्मलमा बसेको हाँस, अन्तरिक्षमा असल, वेदीमा बोलाउने, घरमा पाहुना, मानिसमा बसेको, उत्तममा, ऋतमा, आकाशमा, जलबाट जन्मेको, किरणबाट, ऋतबाट र पर्वतबाट जन्मेको, ऋत र महान् हो।
Where it sits
Do not flatten the list into one English noun. The mantra is a roll of seats. It is 'that' of the refrain's world, set without the refrain in this pāṭha (पाठ).
Split: haṃsaḥ (हंसः) + śuci-ṣad (शुचि-षद्) + vasuḥ (वसुः) + antarikṣa-sad (अन्तरिक्ष-सद्) + hotā (होता) + vedi-ṣad (वेदि-षद्) + atithiḥ duroṇa-sat (अतिथिः दुरोण-सत्) + nṛ-ṣad vara-sad (नृ-षद् वर-सद्) + ṛta-sad vyoma-sad (ऋत-सद् व्योम-सद्) + ap-jā go-jā ṛta-jā adri-jā (अप्-जा गो-जा ऋत-जा अद्रि-जा) + ṛtam bṛhat (ऋतम् बृहत्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| haṃsaḥ (हंसः) | nominative | The goose. The sun, the breath, the self, in this hymn's range. |
| śuci-ṣad (शुचि-षद्) | nominative | Sitting in the clear. |
| vasuḥ (वसुः) | nominative | The good one. Heard vasur (वसुर्). |
| antarikṣa-sad (अन्तरिक्ष-सद्) | nominative | Sitting in the midspace. Heard antarikṣasad (अन्तरिक्षसद्). |
| hotā (होता) | nominative | The invoker priest. Heard hotā (होता). |
| vedi-ṣad (वेदि-षद्) | nominative | Sitting on the altar. Heard vediṣad (वेदिषद्). |
| atithiḥ duroṇa-sat (अतिथिः दुरोण-सत्) | a guest sitting in the house | Heard atithir duroṇasat (अतिथिर् दुरोणसत्). |
| nṛ-ṣad vara-sad (नृ-षद् वर-सद्) | sitting among men, sitting in the excellent | Heard nṛṣad varasad (नृषद् वरसद्). |
| ṛta-sad vyoma-sad (ऋत-सद् व्योम-सद्) | sitting in the right, sitting in the sky | Heard ṛtasad vyomasad (ऋतसद् व्योमसद्). |
| ap-jā go-jā ṛta-jā adri-jā (अप्-जा गो-जा ऋत-जा अद्रि-जा) | born of water, of cows, of the right, of the rock | Four nominatives. |
| ṛtam bṛhat (ऋतम् बृहत्) | the right, the great | Nominative. |
The phrases
A string of names and seats. The verse is an old hymn placed here. Each sad (सद्) is 'sitting in.'
Sanskrit in this line
Ṣad (षद्) after śuci (शुचि) and vedi (वेदि) keeps the retroflex. Sad (सद्) after a vowel is the same verb, 'sitting.'
Say it back
Name three places he sits.