The Upaniṣads / Māṇḍūkya / 8 The measures
8
सोऽयमात्माध्यक्षरमोंकारोऽधिमात्रं पादा मात्रा मात्राश् च पादा अकार उकारो मकार इति so 'yam ātmādhyakṣaram oṃkāro 'dhimātraṃ pādā mātrā mātrāś ca pādā akāra ukāro makāra iti
The line
This self, as the syllable, is the sound oṃ (ओं). As the measures: the feet are the measures, and the measures are the feet. They are a (अ), u (उ), and m (म्).
नेपालीमा
यो आत्मा अक्षरका रूपमा ध्वनि ओं हो। मात्राका रूपमा पाउहरू मात्रा हुन् र मात्राहरू पाउ हुन्, ती अ, उ र म् हुन्।
Where it sits
Mantras 3, 4, 5, and 7 were the four feet. This mantra turns them into the parts of the syllable named in mantra 1. Yoga Sūtra (सूत्र) 1.28 calls the contemplation of that meaning tad-artha-bhāvanam (तद्-अर्थ-भावनम्). The next three mantras assign the three measures. Kaṭha (कठ) 2.15 is the other sitting of this syllable.
Split: saḥ (सः) + ayam (अयम्) + ātmā (आत्मा) + adhi-akṣaram (अधि-अक्षरम्) + oṃkāraḥ (ओंकारः) + adhi-mātram (अधि-मात्रम्) + pādāḥ (पादाः) + mātrāḥ (मात्राः) + mātrāḥ (मात्राः) + ca (च) + pādāḥ (पादाः) + akāraḥ (अकारः) + ukāraḥ (उकारः) + makāraḥ (मकारः) + iti (इति)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| saḥ (सः) | nominative singular, masculine | That. The self of the four feet. Heard so (सो). |
| ayam (अयम्) | nominative singular, masculine | This. The a (अ) drops: so 'yam (सोऽयम्). |
| ātmā (आत्मा) | nominative singular, masculine | The self. Joins the next word: ātmādhyakṣaram (आत्माध्यक्षरम्). |
| adhi-akṣaram (अधि-अक्षरम्) | indeclinable, used as 'with regard to the syllable' | As the syllable. adhi (अधि) with the accusative, concerning. akṣaram (अक्षरम्) is the syllable of mantra 1. |
| oṃkāraḥ (ओंकारः) | nominative singular, masculine | The sound oṃ (ओं). Heard oṃkāro (ओंकारो) before adhimātram (अधिमात्रम्). |
| adhi-mātram (अधि-मात्रम्) | indeclinable, used as 'with regard to the measures' | As the measures. mātrā (मात्रा) is a measure, a mora, of the syllable. |
| pādāḥ (पादाः) | nominative plural, masculine | The feet. Heard pādā (पादा) before mātrāḥ (मात्राः), the visarga dropped after ā (आ). |
| mātrāḥ (मात्राः) | nominative plural, feminine | The measures. The feet are the measures. |
| mātrāḥ (मात्राः) | nominative plural, feminine | The measures, again. Heard mātrāś (मात्राश्) before ca (च). |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | And. The sentence now runs the other way. |
| pādāḥ (पादाः) | nominative plural, masculine | The feet. The measures are the feet. |
| akāraḥ (अकारः) | nominative singular, masculine | The letter a (अ). The first measure. |
| ukāraḥ (उकारः) | nominative singular, masculine | The letter u (उ). Heard ukāro (उकारो) before makāraḥ (मकारः). |
| makāraḥ (मकारः) | nominative singular, masculine | The letter m (म्). The third measure. |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | Closes the list of three. |
The phrases
The self, considered as the syllable, is the sound oṃ (ओं). Considered as the measures, the feet are the measures, and the measures are the feet.
The three measures are named: a (अ), u (उ), m (म्). The fourth, without a measure, waits until mantra 12.
Sanskrit in this line
Ātmā (आत्मा) plus adhi (अधि) is ātmādhi (आत्माधि). Short ā (आ) stays, and the following a (अ) of adhi (अधि) is the vowel already in the prefix. The recital joins them: ātmādhyakṣaram (आत्माध्यक्षरम्).
Oṃkāraḥ (ओंकारः) plus adhimātram (अधिमात्रम्) is oṃkāro 'dhimātram (ओंकारोऽधिमात्रम्). The visarga becomes o (ओ), and the a (अ) drops.
Mātrāḥ (मात्राः) plus ca (च) is mātrāś ca (मात्राश् च). A visarga before ca (च) is heard as ś (श्).
Pādāḥ (पादाः) after a long ā (आ), before a voiced consonant, loses the visarga: pādā mātrā (पादा मात्रा).
Say it back
Name the three measures in order, and say which way the sentence runs: feet are measures, and measures are feet.