The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 6.1 Roots above
6.1
ऊर्ध्वमूलो अवाक्शाख एषोऽश्वत्थः सनातनः ।
तदेव शुक्रं तद् ब्रह्म तदेवामृतमुच्यते ।
तस्मिंल् लोकाः श्रिताः सर्वे तदु नात्येति कश्चन ।
एतद् वै तत् ūrdhvamūlo avākśākha eṣo 'śvatthaḥ sanātanaḥ |
tad eva śukraṃ tad brahma tad evāmṛtam ucyate |
tasmiṃl lokāḥ śritāḥ sarve tad u nātyeti kaścana |
etad vai tat
The line
Root above, branches below, this ancient fig: that is the bright, that is brahman (ब्रह्मन्), that is called the deathless. All worlds rest on it, and no one passes beyond. This, indeed, is that.
नेपालीमा
जरा माथि, हाँगा तल, यो प्राचीन पीपल नै उज्यालो हो, त्यो ब्रह्मन् हो, त्यसलाई अमर भनिन्छ। सबै लोक त्यसमा टिक्छन्, कसैले नाघ्दैन, र यही नै त्यो हो।
Where it sits
The tree is a figure of what 5.8 already called brahman (ब्रह्मन्). The Gītā (गीता) has its own upside-down fig, in chapter 15. This mantra is the Kaṭha (कठ)'s.
Split: ūrdhva-mūlaḥ (ऊर्ध्व-मूलः) + avāk-śākhaḥ (अवाक्-शाखः) + eṣaḥ aśvatthaḥ (एषः अश्वत्थः) + sanātanaḥ (सनातनः) + tat eva śukram tad brahma (ततेव शुक्रम् तद् ब्रह्म) + tat eva amṛtam ucyate (ततेव अमृतमुच्यते) + tasmin lokāḥ śritāḥ sarve (तस्मिन् लोकाः श्रिताः सर्वे) + tat u na atyeti kaścana (ततु न अत्येति कश्चन) + etat vai tat (एतत् वै तत्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ūrdhva-mūlaḥ (ऊर्ध्व-मूलः) | nominative | Its root above. Heard ūrdhvamūlo (ऊर्ध्वमूलो). |
| avāk-śākhaḥ (अवाक्-शाखः) | nominative | Its branches below. Heard avākśākha (अवाक्शाख). |
| eṣaḥ aśvatthaḥ (एषः अश्वत्थः) | this fig tree | Heard eṣo 'śvatthaḥ (एषोऽश्वत्थः). |
| sanātanaḥ (सनातनः) | nominative | Ancient. |
| tat eva śukram tad brahma (ततेव शुक्रम् तद् ब्रह्म) | that is the bright, that is brahman (ब्रह्मन्) | The sentence of 5.8. |
| tat eva amṛtam ucyate (ततेव अमृतमुच्यते) | that is called the deathless | Heard tad evāmṛtam (तदेवामृतम्). |
| tasmin lokāḥ śritāḥ sarve (तस्मिन् लोकाः श्रिताः सर्वे) | all worlds rest there | Heard tasmiṃl lokāḥ (तस्मिंल् लोकाः). |
| tat u na atyeti kaścana (ततु न अत्येति कश्चन) | no one goes beyond | As before. |
| etat vai tat (एतत् वै तत्) | the refrain | This is that. |
The phrases
An ancient fig tree, root above, branches down. The bright, brahman (ब्रह्मन्), the deathless. All worlds rest there.
Sanskrit in this line
Eṣaḥ aśvatthaḥ (एषः अश्वत्थः) is eṣo 'śvatthaḥ (एषोऽश्वत्थः). Ūrdhva-mūla (ऊर्ध्व-मूल) is a bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि): whose root is above.
Say it back
Say which way the root faces.