The Upaniṣads / Kaṭha / 6.17 Draw him out
6.17
अङ्गुष्ठमात्रः पुरुषोऽन्तरात्मा सदा जनानां हृदये संनिविष्टः ।
तं स्वाच् छरीरात् प्रवृहेन् मुञ्जादिवेषीकां धैर्येण ।
तं विद्याच् छुक्रममृतं तं विद्याच् छुक्रममृतमिति aṅguṣṭhamātraḥ puruṣo 'ntarātmā sadā janānāṃ hṛdaye saṃniviṣṭaḥ |
taṃ svāc charīrāt pravṛhen muñjād iveṣīkāṃ dhairyeṇa |
taṃ vidyāc chukram amṛtaṃ taṃ vidyāc chukram amṛtam iti
The line
The person the size of a thumb, the inner self, is always settled in the heart of creatures. One should draw him out of one's own body, as the reed from the muñja (मुञ्ज) grass, by firmness. Let one know him as the bright, the deathless. Let one know him as the bright, the deathless.
नेपालीमा
अङ्गुष्ठ जत्रो पुरुष, भित्री आत्मा, सधैँ प्राणीहरूको हृदयमा बसेको छ। धैर्यले मुञ्ज घाँसबाट डाँठ झिकेझैँ उसलाई आफ्नै शरीरबाट झिक्नुपर्छ, र उसलाई उज्यालो र अमर भनेर जानियोस्, उसलाई उज्यालो र अमर भनेर जानियोस्।
Where it sits
The thumb measure of 4.12 is here the inner self to be drawn out. The repetition is in the pāṭha (पाठ), as at the end of vallī (वल्ली) 3.
Split: aṅguṣṭha-mātraḥ puruṣaḥ (अङ्गुष्ठ-मात्रः पुरुषः) + antarātmā (अन्तरात्मा) + sadā janānām hṛdaye (सदा जनानाम् हृदये) + saṃniviṣṭaḥ (संनिविष्टः) + tam (तम्) + svāt śarīrāt (स्वात् शरीरात्) + pravṛhet (प्रवृहेत्) + muñjāt iva iṣīkām (मुञ्जातिव इषीकाम्) + dhairyeṇa (धैर्येण) + tam vidyāt śukram amṛtam (तम् विद्यात् शुक्रममृतम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| aṅguṣṭha-mātraḥ puruṣaḥ (अङ्गुष्ठ-मात्रः पुरुषः) | the thumb-sized person | As at 4.12. Heard puruṣo (पुरुषो). |
| antarātmā (अन्तरात्मा) | nominative | The inner self. |
| sadā janānām hṛdaye (सदा जनानाम् हृदये) | always in the heart of people | Locative. Heard hṛdaye (हृदये). |
| saṃniviṣṭaḥ (संनिविष्टः) | nominative | Settled in. |
| tam (तम्) | accusative | Him. Heard taṃ (तं). |
| svāt śarīrāt (स्वात् शरीरात्) | from one's own body | Ablative. Heard svāc charīrāt (स्वाच् छरीरात्). |
| pravṛhet (प्रवृहेत्) | optative | One should draw him out. From pra-vṛh (प्र-वृह्). |
| muñjāt iva iṣīkām (मुञ्जातिव इषीकाम्) | like the reed from the grass | Heard muñjād iveṣīkām (मुञ्जादिवेषीकाम्). |
| dhairyeṇa (धैर्येण) | instrumental | By steadiness. |
| tam vidyāt śukram amṛtam (तम् विद्यात् शुक्रममृतम्) | let one know him as the bright, the deathless | Said twice. Heard vidyāc chukram (विद्याच् छुक्रम्). iti (इति) closes the repetition. |
The phrases
The inner person, thumb-sized, sits in the heart. One should draw him from the body as the stalk from the reed, by steadiness, and know him as the bright deathless. Said twice.
Sanskrit in this line
Svāt śarīrāt (स्वात् शरीरात्) is svāc charīrāt (स्वाच् छरीरात्). Vidyāt śukram (विद्यात् शुक्रम्) is vidyāc chukram (विद्याच् छुक्रम्). t (त्) plus ś (श्) is cch (च्छ्).
Say it back
Say the comparison, and the two words he is to be known as.