The Upaniṣads / Māṇḍūkya / 9 The measure a
9
जागरितस्थानो वैश्वानरोऽकारः प्रथमा मात्राप्तेरादिमत्त्वाद् वा ।
आप्नोति ह वै सर्वान् कामानादिश् च भवति य एवं वेद jāgaritasthāno vaiśvānaro 'kāraḥ prathamā mātrāpter ādimattvād vā |
āpnoti ha vai sarvān kāmān ādiś ca bhavati ya evaṃ veda
The line
The waking vaiśvānara (वैश्वानर) is a (अ), the first measure, because of obtaining, or because it is the beginning. He obtains every desire, and he becomes the first, who knows thus.
नेपालीमा
जागृत वैश्वानर अ हो, पहिलो मात्रा, प्राप्त गर्नाले वा आरम्भ भएकाले। यसरी जान्नेले हरेक इच्छा प्राप्त गर्छ र प्रथम हुन्छ।
Where it sits
The foot was named in mantra 3. The measure was named in mantra 8. This mantra joins them and gives two reasons, joined by vā (वा). The result clause, ya evaṃ veda (य एवं वेद), will return in the next three mantras.
Split: jāgarita-sthānaḥ (जागरित-स्थानः) + vaiśvānaraḥ (वैश्वानरः) + akāraḥ (अकारः) + prathamā (प्रथमा) + mātrā (मात्रा) + āptiḥ (आप्तिः) + ādimattvāt (आदिमत्त्वात्) + vā (वा) + āpnoti (आप्नोति) + ha (ह) + vai (वै) + sarvān (सर्वान्) + kāmān (कामान्) + ādiḥ (आदिः) + ca (च) + bhavati (भवति) + yaḥ (यः) + evam (एवम्) + veda (वेद)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| jāgarita-sthānaḥ (जागरित-स्थानः) | nominative singular, masculine | Whose place is the waking. The foot of mantra 3. Heard jāgaritasthāno (जागरितस्थानो). |
| vaiśvānaraḥ (वैश्वानरः) | nominative singular, masculine | Vaiśvānara (वैश्वानर). Heard vaiśvānaro (वैश्वानरो) before akāraḥ (अकारः). |
| akāraḥ (अकारः) | nominative singular, masculine | The letter a (अ). The a (अ) drops: vaiśvānaro 'kāraḥ (वैश्वानरोऽकारः). |
| prathamā (प्रथमा) | nominative singular, feminine | The first. Agrees with mātrā (मात्रा). |
| mātrā (मात्रा) | nominative singular, feminine | A measure. Joined in the recital to the next word: mātrāptiḥ (मात्राप्तिः). |
| āptiḥ (आप्तिः) | nominative singular, feminine | Obtaining, reaching. A (अ) is the first sound one comes to. Heard āpter (आप्तेर्) before ādimattvāt (आदिमत्त्वात्), the visarga becoming r (र्). |
| ādimattvāt (आदिमत्त्वात्) | ablative singular, neuter | Because of being the beginning. ādimat (आदिमत्), what has a beginning, what is first. The ablative is the reason. Heard ādimattvād (आदिमत्त्वाद्) before vā (वा). |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | Or. A second reason beside āptiḥ (आप्तिः). |
| āpnoti (आप्नोति) | present, third person singular | He obtains. From the root āp (आप्). |
| ha (ह) | indeclinable | A Vedic mark that the sentence is the text's own assertion. |
| vai (वै) | indeclinable | Indeed. |
| sarvān (सर्वान्) | accusative plural, masculine | All. |
| kāmān (कामान्) | accusative plural, masculine | Desires. The object of āpnoti (आप्नोति). |
| ādiḥ (आदिः) | nominative singular, masculine | The first. Heard ādiś (आदिश्) before ca (च). |
| ca (च) | indeclinable | And. |
| bhavati (भवति) | present, third person singular | He becomes. |
| yaḥ (यः) | nominative singular, masculine | Who. Heard ya (य) before evam (एवम्), the visarga dropped. |
| evam (एवम्) | indeclinable | Thus. In this way, as the mantra has just said. |
| veda (वेद) | perfect, third person singular | He knows. From the root vid (विद्). |
The phrases
Vaiśvānara (वैश्वानर), the waking foot, is the letter a (अ), the first measure. The reason is obtaining, or being the beginning.
Who knows thus obtains all desires and becomes the first.
Sanskrit in this line
Vaiśvānaraḥ (वैश्वानरः) plus akāraḥ (अकारः) is vaiśvānaro 'kāraḥ (वैश्वानरोऽकारः).
Mātrā (मात्रा) plus āptiḥ (आप्तिः) is mātrāptiḥ (मात्राप्तिः). Short ā (आ) plus short ā (आ) stays in the join as one long vowel in the recital mātrāpter (मात्राप्तेर्).
Āptiḥ (आप्तिः) before ādimattvāt (आदिमत्त्वात्) is āpter (आप्तेर्). A visarga before a vowel becomes r (र्).
Ādimattvāt (आदिमत्त्वात्) plus vā (वा). A final t (त्) before a voiced sound is heard as d (द्): ādimattvād vā (आदिमत्त्वाद् वा).
Ādiḥ (आदिः) plus ca (च) is ādiś ca (आदिश् च). A visarga before ca (च) is heard as ś (श्).
Say it back
Say which foot, which measure, and the two reasons the vā (वा) is holding apart.