2

Introduction

Sanskrit is an inherently vague language—not only are there various possible renderings for individual words, but the word order is quite loose. Because of this, many translations are often possible for a given passage. This translation allows readers with no knowledge of Sanskrit to explore the different possible meanings of the text with the help of the Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary, which can be accessed online. The format of this translation closely follows that of Winthrop Sargeant’s translation of the Bhagavad-Gītā. At the top of the left-hand column is the transliterated text, and beneath this is a suggested translation. In the right-hand column, each Sanskrit word is listed without sandhi1, followed by bracketed grammatical notes and a few possible renderings. The grammatical notes are structured as follows: After nouns, I have listed the gender, case, and number, followed by the stem (or, for pronouns, the base). It is generally the noun stem (with or without prefixes) that must be entered into the online Monier-Williams Dictionary in order to obtain results. In many cases, I have listed the verbal root from which the stem is derived, and have written any prefixes or suffixes separately. After verbs, I have listed the person, number, mood, voice, and, when applicable, secondary conjugations. This is followed by the root (again separated from prefixes and suffixes). Often, more than one case, gender, etc. is possible for a word. To list all of these possibilities in every case would have been cumbersome, but I did make note of different possibilities at times. It is important to note that Sanskrit texts often omit derivatives of “to be”, so the reader must usually add these at their discretion. For example, the line in Kena III.1 which I have translated as “Ours, indeed, is this victory” is, if translated exactly, “Ours indeed this victory”. I chose to transliterate using the IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration) because I find this to be the most readable of the Romanized Sanskrit alphabets. One downside is that this alphabet cannot be typed into the search box of the online Monier-Williams Dictionary: text must be inputted using ITRANS (Indian Languages Transliteration), HK (Harvard-Kyoto), or SLP1 (Sanskrit Library Phonetic Basic). IAST can be easily converted into HK according to the chart on the following page.

1 A Sanskrit term meaning “holding together”, sandhi (or saṃdhi) is the alteration of sounds—both across word boundaries (external sandhi) and within words (internal sandhi)—that simplifies pronunciation. English does use sandhi, too (for example, the word “a” is written as “an” before vowels) this is most often spoken rather than written (for example, “the” is usually pronounced as thə [i.e., “thuh”] before consonants and thē [i.e., “thee”] before vowels, but it is spelled the same in both cases). In Sanskrit, however, sandhi changes the written letters, too. The Sanskrit sandhi rules have not been included here because they can be be found in many books—for example, see McComas Taylor’s The Little Red Book of Sanskrit Paradigms. If one wants a deeper understanding of sandhi, one must learn the reasons behind these changes—for this, I recommend Robert P. Goldman’s Devavāṇīpraveśikā.

3

Conversion of the Internation Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration to Harvard-Kyoto

IAST HK

ā A

ḍ D

ḍh Dh

ḥ H

ī I

l lR

l lRR

ṃ M

ṇ N

ñ J

ṅ G

ṛ R

ṛ RR

ṣ S

ś z

ṭ T

ṭh Th

u U

All letters without diacritical marks are the

same. They must be written in lower-case.

4

Abbreviations

Ᾱ. ātmanepada voice

AB. avyayībhāva compound

abl. ablative case

acc. accusative case

act. active

adj. adjective

adv. adverb

aor. aorist tense

ben. benedictive mood

BV. bahuvrīhī

comp. compound

cond. conditional mood

dat. dative case

DV. dvandva

f. feminine

fut. future

gen. genitive case

ger. gerund

impf. imperfect tense

impv. imperative mood

ind. indeclinable

inf. infinitive mood

inj. injunctive mood

instr. instrumental case

KD. karmadhāraya

lit. literally

loc. locative case

m. masculine gender

n. neuter gender

nom. nominative case

opt. optative mood

P. parasmaipada voice

p. participle

pass. passive

peri. periphrastic future tense

pf. perfect tense

pl. plural

pres. present

prob. probably

pron. pronoun

sing. singular

TP. tatpuruṣa (vyadhikaraṇa)

voc. vocative case

5

Explanation of Grammatical Terms NOUN CASES / VIBHAKTI-S (“separations, divisions”)

English Term Sanskrit Term Usage

Ablative pancamī (“5th”) or apādāna (“taking away, giving away”)

“From” (and occasionally “than”) the noun.

Accusative dvitīya (“2nd”) or karman (“action; object”)

Identifies the object.

Dative caturthī (“4th”) or sampradāna (“giving over completely, bestowing”)

“For”, “to” (the indirect object).

Genitive ṣaṣṭhi (“6th”) or sambandha (“binding together”)

“Of” the noun.

Instrumental tṛtīya (“3rd”) or karaṇa (“doing, making, acting”)

“By” or “with” the noun (in either the instrumental sense or in the sense of accompaniment).

Locative saptamī (“7th”) or adhikaraṇa (“location”; lit. “over-making”)

Expresses location: “in”, “on”, “at”, etc. the noun.

Nominative prathamā (“1st”) or kartā (“doer, maker, agent”)

Identifies the subject.

Vocative saṃbodhana (“awaking, arousing; calling to”)

Identifies the addressee.

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PARTICIPLES / KṚDANTA-S (“ending in kṛt-s”)

English Term Sanskrit Term Usage

Future active participle

bhaviṣyatkāle kṛdanta (“participle in future time”)

E.g., “The about-to-remember man asked a question.”

Future passive participle (a.k.a. gerdundive)

kṛtya (“to-be-done”) This implies ought. E.g., “The words are to-be-remembered” (i.e., “The words ought to be remembered”).

Gerund (a.k.a. Indeclinable Participle and Absolutive)

ktvānta (“ending in tvā”) / lyabanta (“ending in ya”)

Not to be confused with the English gerund, this signals an action that was completed before some other event. Therefore, gerunds are always dependent on another verb. E.g., “Having remembered, Rama went to the forest.”

Past active participle

ktavatu (“ending in tavat”) This is used like the English simple past tense. E.g., “It arose.”

Past passive participle

bhute kṛdanta (“participle in the past”)

This can be used as an adjective: E.g., “The remembered man arrived”. It can also function as a noun (when the thing which it describes is implied): E.g., “The forgotten was found.”

Present active participle

vartamāne kṛdanta, kartari prayoga (“participle in the present, active construction”)

Like the gerund, this is subordinated to another verb. It differs in that it is more imperfective—i.e., it refers to an action that is in progress at the time of the principal verb. E.g., “Remembering, Rama went to the forest.”

Present passive participle

vartmāne kṛdanta, karmaṇi prayoga (“participle in the present, passive construction”)

Like the present active participle, this expresses simultaneous activity, but in a passive sense: E.g., “Being-remembered, Rama went to the forest.”

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VERB TENSES / KᾹLA-S (“times”)

English Term Sanskrit Term Usage Aorist adyatana-bhuta (“of today

past”) Pāṇini’s term: luṅ

Indicates an action that has recently been completed.2 E.g., “The horse spoke this morning.”

Imperfect anadyatana-bhuta (“not of today past”) Pāṇini’s term: laṅ

Indicates an action that was not performed today and was not witnessed by the speaker.2 E.g., “The horse spoke a year ago.”

Perfect (a.k.a. distant past tense)

parokṣa-bhuta (“beyond the eye past”) Pāṇini’s term: liṭ

Indicates an action that was not performed today and was witnessed by the speaker.2 E.g., “He told me that the horse spoke a year ago.”

Periphrastic future (a.k.a. distant future)

anadyatana-bhaviṣyat (“not of today future”) Pāṇini’s term: luṭ

Refers to an event in the distant future. It has a sense of certainty. E.g., “When I journey beneath the earth, the horse will (certainly) speak.”

Present indicative

vartamāna (“present”) Pāṇini’s term: laṭ

Used like the English present tense. E.g., “The horse speaks.”

Simple future sāmānya-bhaviṣyat (“general

future”)

Pāṇini’s term: lṛṭ

Refers to a future event that is contiguous with present time. It has a sense of likelihood. E.g., “The horse will (likely) speak any minute now.”

2 In actual usage, the disctinction between the aorist, imperfect, and perfect is not generally maintained.

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VERB VOICES / PADA-S (“words”; lit. “steps”)

English Term Sanskrit Term Usage Active voice parasmaipada (“word for

another” Describes verbs of activity and verbs used with an object.

Middle voice ātmanepada (“word for the self”)

Generally describes reflexive verbs, but this distinction is not strict—ātmanepada verbs can take external objects, too.

Note: Some verbs always take the parasmaipada endings, some always take the ātmanepada endings, and some—called ubhayapada verbs—can occur in both forms. In the case of ubhayapada verbs, I simply indicated which ending was taken in each particular occurrence.

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VERB MOODS (a.k.a. MODES) / ARTHA-S (“purposes”, “aims”)

English Term Sanskrit Term Usage Benedictive āśīr (“blessing, benediction;

prayer”) Pāṇini’s term: liṅ

Used for uttering blessings or prayers. E.g., “May she slay the demon.”

Conditional atipatti (“going beyond”)/saṃketa (“condition”) Pāṇini’s term: lṛṅ

Used for hypotheses or situations contrary to fact. It expresses a desire to have done things differently in the past. E.g., “If she would have slain the demon, it would not have arisen.”

Imperative ājnā (“order, command”) Pāṇini’s term: loṭ

Indicates that the verb is a command. E.g., “Slay the demon!”

Injunctive This is a usage made of the aorist (luṅ).

In Vedic, the injunctive expresses intentions (“I will slay the demon”), imperatives (“Slay the demon!”), and wishes (“Let her slay the demon”). In Classical Sanskrit, it functions as a negative imperative, being used with the prohibitive particle mā. E.g., “Do not slay the demon!”

Optative (a.k.a. potential) (includes benedictive)

vidhi (“rule, injunction”) Pāṇini’s term: liṅ3

The optative can be used for prescription (“should, ought”) or possibilities (“might, may”). E.g., “She ought to slay the demon”; “She might slay the demon.” The benedictive (āśīr liṅ) is used for uttering blessings or prayers. E.g., “May she slay the demon.”

Subjunctive āśīḥ (“prayer, wish, blessing”) Pāṇini’s term: leṭ

Used in older Sanskrit, the subjunctive has a variety of functions including the requisition and the expression of wishes. E.g., “I wish that she would slay the demon”; “I request that she slay the demon.”

3 The benedictive and optative are both called liṅ by Pāṇini because they generally function in the same way.

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SECONDARY CONJUGATIONS / DHᾹTU VṚTTI-S (“root modes”)

English Term Sanskrit Term Usage Causative ṇijanta (“ending in ṇic”) Indicates that someone is being caused to

do the action.

Denominative nāmadhātu (“noun-root”) Derives verbs from nouns. Generally means “becomes X”, “acts like X”, “turns (something else) into X”, or “treats as X”.

Desiderative sannanta (“ending in san”) Indicates that someone desires to do the action.

Intensive yaṅanta (“ending in yaṅ”) Indicates that the action is repeated or performed with intensity.

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COMPOUNDS / SAMᾹSA-S (“throwing togethers”)

Term Usage

avyayībhāva (“indeclinable state”)

This functions as an adverb, with an indeclinable as the prior member and a nominal stem as the latter. E.g., “every-day”, “with-anger”, “as-long-as-a-year”.

bahuvrīhi (“much-rice”)4 This is an application of other compounds: The last member loses its independence and the compound as a whole qualifies some noun outside the compound, which is often implicit. E.g., “I approached Much-Rice” (i.e., “I approached the man who has much rice”).

dvandva (“pair”) A list of nouns that would ordinarily be connected by “and” or “or”. E.g., “mother-father” (i.e., “mother and father”).

tatpuruṣa (“his person”)4: vyadhikaraṇa (“different case”) and karmadhāraya (“action bearing”)

A compound in which the last member is qualified by the prior members while remaining independent of them. In a vyadhikaraṇa tatpuruṣa compound, the prior member is in a different case than the last when the compound is dissolved: e.g., “god-son” (i.e., “son of the god”). In the karmadhāraya tatpuruṣa compound, the members are in the same case. Often, the former member(s) describes the last (e.g., “small-man”), but it can also be equated to it (e.g., “king-man” – i.e., “the man is the king”).

4 The name of the compound is an example of it.

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1

īśāvāsyamidaṃ sarvaṃ yatkinca jagatyāṃ jagat Inhabited by the Lord is this all, in whatever is moving, the moving.

īśā (m. inst. sing. īś): by the ruler, master, lord.

āvāsyam (n. nom. sing. āvāsya): inhabited by; full of.

idam (n. nom. sing. pron. idam): this. sarvam (n. nom. sing. pronominal adj. sarva):

whole, entire, all, every. yat kim ca (expression): whatever. jagatyām (f. loc. sing. jagatī; from √gam): in

the moving, movable, living. jagat (mn. nom. sing. jagat; from √gam):

moving, movable, living; mankind; the world.

tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasyasviddhanam You should enjoy with the renounced; do not covet the riches of anyone else.

tena (mn. ins. sing. pron. tad): with/by this. tyaktena (mn. ins. sing. tyakta; past pass. p.

√tyaj): with/by the abandoned, surrendered, renounced.

bhunjīthāḥ (2nd sing. opt. Ᾱ. √bhuj): you should/might/may enjoy.

mā (ind.): not; do not; no. gṛdhaḥ (2nd sing. injunctive P. √gṛdh): you

covet, endeavour to gain. kasya-svid: of someone, of anyone.

kasya (mn. gen. sing. kim/ka): whose? svid (ind.): a particle of interrogation; a

word that makes the preceding interrogative indefinite.

dhanam (n. acc. sing. dhana): prize, booty, wealth, riches, treasure, property.

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2

kurvanneveha karmāṇi jijīviṣet śataṃ samāḥ Even performing actions here, one should wish to live a hundred years.

kurvan (pres. act. p. Ᾱ. √kṛ): doing, acting, performing.

eva (ind.): so, indeed, truly, only, even. iha (ind.): here. karmāṇi (n. acc. pl. karman; from √kṛ):

actions. jijīviṣet (3rd sing. opt. desiderative √jīv):

should/might/may wish to live. śatam (n. acc. sing. śata): a hundred. samāḥ (f. acc. pl. samā): years, lit. “the

same”.

evaṃ tvayi nānyatheto'sti na karma lipyate nare In this way—it is not otherwise in this world—on you, on a man, action was not stained.

evam (ind.): thus, in this way, in such a manner, such.

tvayi (m. loc. sing. pron. yuṣmad): in you, on you.

na (ind.): not. anyatha (ind.): otherwise. itas (ind.): hence; in this world; now;

therefore. asti (3rd sing. pres. indic. P. √as): is. na (ind.): not. karma (n. nom. sing. karman; from √kṛ):

action. lipyate (3rd sing. pass. √lip): was smeared,

stained, tainted, defiled; was attached to.

nare (mn. loc. sing. nara): in/on a man, person.

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3

asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasā vṛtāḥ Demoniacal are called those worlds that are covered by blindness, by darkness.

asuryā (f. nom. sing. asurya): incorporeal, spiritual, divine; demoniacal, belonging to or relating to the asuras (spirits or demons who are sometimes considered the opponents of the gods).

nāma (n. acc. sing. nāman): named, called. te (m. nom. pl. pron. tad): they, those. lokāḥ (m. nom. pl. loka): worlds. andhena (mn. ins. sing. andha): with/by

blindness. tamasā (mn. ins. sing. tamas): with/by

darkness, gloom; with/by ignorance, illusion, error.

vṛtāḥ (m. nom. pl. vṛta; past pass. p. √vṛ): concealed, screened, hidden, enveloped.

tāṃste pretyābhigacchanti ye ke cātmahano janāḥ The self-slayers, having departed, approach them.

tān (m. acc. pl. pron. tad): them. te (m. nom. pl. pron. tad): they, those. pretya (ger. √pre): having died; lit. having

proceeded/gone on/departed, having come forth/appeared.

abhigacchanti (3rd pl. pres. abhi √gam): (they) go near, approach.

ye ke ca (expression): any person whatsoever. ye (m. nom. pl. relative pron. yad): who,

which, what. ke (m. loc. sing. ka): in who? in what? ca (ind.): and; makes ka indefinite. ātma-hanaḥ (m. nom. pl. ātma-han, TP.

comp.): self-slayers. ātma (grammar not specified; from √an,

√at, or √vā): of the self, in the self, for the self, etc.

hanaḥ (m. nom. pl. han): killers, slayers. janāḥ (mf. nom. pl. jana): creatures, men,

people.

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4

anejadekaṃ manaso javīyo nainaddevā āpnuvanpurvamarṣat Unmoving, one, quicker than the mind—this the deities have not reached, (it) flowing in front.

anejat (n. nom. sing anejat; the pres. act. p. an √ej): unmoving, immovable.

ekam (n. nom. sing. pronominal adj. eka): one.

manasaḥ (n. abl./gen. sing. manas): from the mind, than the mind; of the mind.

javīyaḥ (n. nom. sing. javīyas): quicker. na (ind.): not. enat (n. acc. sing. pron. idam): this. devāḥ (m. nom. pl. deva): deities, gods. āpnuvan (3rd pl. impf. P. √āp): (he/she/it)

reached, overtook, meet with; obtained, gained.

purvam (ind): in front; former, preceding; first.

arṣat (n. acc. sing. arṣat; pres. act. p. √ṛṣ): (it) flowing, gliding, moving quickly.

taddhāvato'nyānnatyeti tiṣṭhat tasminnāpo mātariśvā dadhāti Standing still, it passes by the flowing others; in it Matarishvan places action.

tat (n. nom./acc. sing. pron. tad): it, that. dhāvataḥ (m. acc. pl. dhāvat; pres. act. p.

√dhāv): running, flowing, streaming. anyān (m. acc. pl. pronominal adj. anya):

others. atyeti (3rd sing. pres. indic. P. √atī):

(he/she/it) passes by, passes over, passes through, elapses, overflows.

tiṣṭhat (n. nom sing. tiṣṭhat; pres. act. p. P. √sthā): standing, standing firm, staying, remaining, standing still; being present.

tasmin (n. loc. sing. pron. tad): in that. apaḥ (n. acc. sing. apas): work, action.5 mātariśvā (m. nom. sing. mātariśvan; from

mātari-śvan): air, wind; the fire-stick of Agni; an epithet of Vāyu (wind); lit. prob. “growing in the mother”. mātari (m. loc. sing. mātr): in the mother,

in the measurer. svan (prob. from √svi): swelling, growing,

increasing. dadhāti (3rd sing. pres. indic. P. √dhā):

(he/she/it) places, puts; holds, possesses.

5 Apaḥ is also the feminine ablative and genitive singular of √ap, meaning waters or water divinities.

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5

tadejati tannaijati taddure tadvantike It moves, it moves not; it is far, it is near!

tat (n. nom. sing. pron. tad): it, that. ejati (3rd sing. pres. indic. P. √ej): moves,

trembles, shakes. tat (n. nom. sing. pron. tad): it, that. na (ind.): not. ejati (3rd sing. pres. indic. P. √ej): moves,

trembles, shakes. tat (n. nom. sing. pron. tad): it, that. dure (n. loc. sing. dura): in the distance. (ind.)

far. tat (n. nom. sing. pron. tad): it, that. u (ind.): an expression of emphasis; an expletive. antike (ind.): near.

tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasyāsya bāhyataḥ It is inside of this all; it is, of all this, outside!

tat (n. nom. sing. pron. tad): it, that. antar (ind.): within, between, amongst, in. asya (mn. gen. sing. pron idam): of this. sarvasya (mn. gen. sing. pronominal adj.

sarva): of all. tat (n. nom. sing. pron. tad): it, that. u (ind.): an expression of emphasis; an expletive. sarvasya (mn. gen. sing. pronominal adj.

sarva): of all. asya (mn. gen. sing. pron. idam): of this. bāhyatas (ind.): outside, externally.

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6

yastu sarvāṇi bhutānyātmanyevānupaśyati But he who, all beings in the self, indeed, beholds,

yaḥ (m. nom. sing. relative pron. yad): who. tu (ind.): but. sarvāṇi (n. nom. pl. pronominal adj. sarva):

whole, entire, all, every. bhutāni (n. nom. pl. bhuta; past pass. p. √bhu):

beings. ātmani (m. loc. sing. ātman; from √an, √at, or

√vā): in the Self. eva (ind.): so, indeed, truly, only, even. anupaśyati (3rd sing. pres. indic. P. anu √dṛś):

(he/she/it) beholds; foresees.

sarvabhuteṣu cātmānaṃ tato na vijugupsate And in all beings, the self—from him it does not wish to conceal itself.

sarva-bhuteṣu (mn. pl. loc. sarva-bhuta, KD. comp.): sarva (grammar not specified; pronominal

adj.): whole, entire, all, every, everything.

bhuteṣu (mn. pl. loc. bhuta; past pass. p. √bhu): in beings; lit. “in the been/become ones”.

ca (ind.): and. ātmānam (m. acc. sing ātman; from √an, √at,

or √vā): the self. tataḥ (m. abl./gen. sing. tat): from him; of him. na (ind.): not. vijugupsate (3rd sing. pres. desiderative Ᾱ. vi

√gup): (he/she/it) wishes to shrink away, hide, conceal (itself).

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7

yasminsarvāṇi bhutānanyātmaivābhudvijānataḥ In whom all beings have become the self from discerning,

yasmin (mn. loc. sing. relative pron. yad): in whom, in which.

sarvāṇi (n. nom. pl. pronominal adj. sarva): whole, entire, all, every, everything. bhutāni (n. nom./acc. pl. bhuta; past pass. p.

√bhu): beings. ātmā (m. nom. sing. ātman; from √an, √at, or

√vā): the self. eva (ind.): so, indeed, truly, only, even. abhut (3rd sing. aor. P. √bhu): became, was. vijānataḥ (mn. abl./gen. vijānat; pres. act. p.

vi √jnā): from/of understanding, knowing, discerning, discriminating; from/of the knower, the discerner, the sage.

tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvamanupaśyataḥ Therein, what is the delusion, what is the sorrow of the oneness seeing one?

tatra (ind.): there; therein. kaḥ (m. nom. sing. interrogative pron. kim):

who? which? mohaḥ (m. nom. sing. moha; noun from

√muh): loss of consciousness, bewilderment, delusion.

kaḥ (m. nom. sing. interrogative pron. kim): who? which?

śokaḥ (m. nom. sing. śoka; from √śuc): burning, hot; flame, glow, heat; sorrow, affliction, grief.

ekatvam (n. acc. sing. eka -tva): oneness. anupaśyataḥ (mn. abl./gen. sing. anupaśyat;

from anu √dṛś): from the seeing (one); of the seeing (one).

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8

sa paryagācchukramakāyamavraṇam-asnāviraṃ śuddhamapāpaviddham He went round, he is bright, bodiless, unblemished, without sinews, purified, not afflicted by evil.

saḥ (m. nom. sing. pron. tad): he, it. paryagāt (3rd sing. impf. P. pari √gā): went

round, went through; circumambulated, permeated; entered; came near, approached.

śukram (m. acc. sing. śukra; from √śuc): bright, resplendent.

akāyam (m. acc. sing. a kaya; from a √ci): bodiless (one).

avraṇam (m. acc. sing. a vraṇa): unscarred, unwounded; unblemished, unflawed.

asnāviram (m. acc. sing. a snāvira; refer to asnāvaka): without sinews.

śuddham (m. acc. sing. śuddha; past pass. p. √śudh): bright; lit. cleaned, cleared, purified.

apāpaviddham (m. acc. sing. apāpaviddha; past pass. p. a papa √vyadh): not-evil-pierced, not-evil-afflicted.

kavirmanīṣī paribhuḥ svayambhuryāthātathyato'rthān vyadadhācchāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ He is the prophet, the thoughtful one, the surrounding being, self-existing—truly, objects he placed apart for eternal years.

kaviḥ (m. nom. sing. kavi; from √ku): intelligent, knowing, wise, cunning; thinker, intelligent man; sage, seer, prophet.

manīṣī (m. nom. sing. manīṣin): thoughtful, intelligent, wise, sage.

paribhuḥ (mf. nom. sing. pari bhu): the surrounding being, the pervading being.

svayambhuḥ (mf. nom. sing svayam bhu): independent, self-existing, being/arising of its own accord.

yathātathyatas (ind.): from the truth, really, truly.

arthān (m. acc. pl. artha): aims, purposes; causes, motives; things, objects; uses.

vyadadhāt (3rd sing. impf. P. vi √dhā): distributed, lit. “placed apart”.

śāśvatībhyaḥ (f. dat./abl. pl. śāśvatī): for/from eternal, all.

samābhyaḥ (f. dat./abl. pl. sama/samā): for/from years, even (ones), same (ones).

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andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye'vidyāmupāsate Blind darkness enter those who worship unwisdom.

andham (n. nom. sing. andha): blind. tamaḥ (n. nom. sing. tamas): darkness,

gloom. praviśanti (3rd pl. pres. indic. pra √viś): enter,

reach. ye (m. pl. relative pron. yad): who, which,

what, that. avidyām (f. acc. sing. avidyā; from a √vid -ya):

ignorance, unwisdom; lit. “not-coming-from-knowing,” “not-coming-from-perceiving”.

upāsate (3rd pl. pres. indic. Ᾱ. upa √ās): (they) worship; lit. (they) sit near, lie near.

tato bhuya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyāṃ ratāḥ More than that, as it were, is the darkness of you who in wisdom are delighted!

tataḥ (n. abl. sing. pron. tat): from that; than that.

bhuyaḥ (n. nom. sing. bhuyas): becoming; becoming in a greater degree, more; abounding in.

iva (ind.): like, in this sense; as if; as it were. te (m. dat./gen. sing. yuṣmad): for you, of you. tamaḥ (n. nom. sing.): darkness, gloom. yaḥ (m. nom. sing. relative pron. yad): who. u (ind.): an expression of emphasis; an expletive. vidyāyām (f. sing. loc. vidyā; from √vid -ya): in

learning, scholarship, philosophy; knowledge, wisdom, perception; lit. “in the coming-from-knowing”, “in the coming-from-perceiving”.

ratāḥ (mf. nom. pl. rata): pleased, amused, gratified, delighted.

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anyadevāhurvidyayā anyadāhuravidyayā Other indeed, they said, than wisdom; other, they said, than unwisdom.

anyat (n. nom. sing. pronominal adj. anya): other, other, another, different from, opposed.

eva (ind.): so, indeed, truly, only, even. āhuḥ (3rd pl. pf. P. √ah): they said, spoke. vidyayāḥ (f. abl. sing. vidyā; from √vid -ya):

than learning, scholarship, philosophy; knowledge, wisdom, perception; lit. “than the coming-from-knowing”, “than the coming-from-perceiving”.

anyat (n. nom. sing. pronominal adj. anya): other, other than, another.

āhuḥ (3rd pl. pf. P. √ah): they said, spoke. avidyayāḥ (f. abl. sing. vidyā; from √vid -ya):

than ignorance, unwisdom; lit. “than the not-coming-from-knowing,” “than the not-coming-from-perceiving”.

iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṃ yenastadvicacakṣire Thus we heard from the steady ones who showed it to us.

iti (ind.): thus; an indication that the previous words were said or thought.

śuśruma (1st pl. pf. P. √śru): (we) heard. dhīrāṇām (mfn. gen. pl. dhīra; prob. from √dhṛ

or √dhā): of the wise, skillful, clever; of the steady, constant.

ye (m. pl. relative pron. yad): who, which, what, that.

naḥ (m. acc./dat./gen. pl. short pron. asmad): (to) us, for us, of us, our.

tat (n. nom. sing. pron. tad): it, that. vicacakṣire (3rd pl. pf. Ᾱ. vi √cakṣ): appeared,

shone; saw distinctly, perceived; made manifest, showed; proclaimed, told.

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vidyāṃ cāvidyāṃ ca yastadvedobhayam saha And wisdom and unwisdom—one who perceives those both together,

vidyām (f. sing. acc. vidyā; from √vid -ya): learning, scholarship, philosophy; knowledge, wisdom, perception; lit. “coming-from-knowing”, “coming-from-perceiving”.

ca (ind.): and. avidyām (f. acc. sing. avidyā; from a √vid -ya):

ignorance, unwisdom; lit. “not-coming-from-knowing,” “not-coming-from-perceiving”.

ca (ind.): and. yaḥ (m. nom. sing. relative pron. yad): who. tat (n. nom. sing. pron. tad): it, that. veda (3rd sing. pres. indic. P. √vid): knows,

perceives. ubhayam (mn. acc. sing. ubhaya): both. saha (ind.): together, along with, with.

avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtamaśnute Having crossed over death with unwisdom, Reaches the immortal with wisdom.

avidyayā (f. ins. sing. avidyā; from a √vid –ya): with/by ignorance, unwisdom; lit. “with/by the not-coming-from-knowing,” “with/by the not-coming-from-perceiving”.

mṛtyum (mf. acc. sing. mṛtyu; from √mṛ): death.

tīrtvā (ger. √tṛ): having passed across, having crossed over.

vidyayā (f. ins. sing. vidyā from √vid -ya): with/by learning, scholarship, philosophy; knowledge, wisdom, perception; lit. “in the coming-from-knowing”, “in the coming-from-perceiving”.

amṛtam (n. acc. sing. amṛta; past pass. p. a √mṛ): the immortal.

aśnute (3rd sing. pres. indic. Ᾱ. √aś): reaches, arrives at, gets, obtains.

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andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye'sambhutimupāsate Blind darkness enter those who worship the non-origin.

andham (n. nom. sing. andha): blind. tamaḥ (n. nom. sing. tamas): darkness,

gloom. praviśanti (3rd pl. pres. indic. P. pra √viś):

enter, reach. ye (m. nom. pl. relative pron. yad): who,

which, what, that. asambhutim (f. acc. sing. asambhuti; from a

sam √bhu): non-existence, destruction, non-origin, non-production; lit. “not-being-together”.

upāsate (3rd pl. pres. indic. Ᾱ. upa √ās): (they) worship; lit. “(they) sit near”, “(they) lie near”.

tato bhuya iva te tamo ya u sambhutyām ratāḥ More than that, as it were, is the darkness of you who in the origin are delighted!

tataḥ (n. abl. sing. pron. tat): from that; than that.

bhuyaḥ (n. nom. sing. bhuyas; from √bhu): becoming; becoming in a greater degree, more; abounding in.

iva (ind.): like, in this sense; as if; as it were. te (m. dat./gen. sing. yuṣmad): for you, of you. tamaḥ (n. nom. sing. tamas): darkness,

gloom. yaḥ (m. nom. sing. relative pron. yad): who. u (ind.): an expression of emphasis; an expletive. sambhutyām (f. loc. sing. sambhuti; from sam

√bhu): in birth, origin; lit. “in being-together”.

ratāḥ (mf. nom. pl. rata; past pass. p. √ram): pleased, amused, gratified, delighted.

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anyadevāhuḥ sambhavādanyadāhurasambhavāt Other, indeed, they said, than the origin; other, they said, than the non-origin.

anyat (n. nom. sing. pronominal adj. anya): other, other, another, different from, opposed.

eva (ind.): so, indeed, truly, only, even. āhuḥ (3rd pl. pf. P. √ah): they said, spoke. sambhavāt (mn. abl. sing. sam bhava; from

√bhu): than the origin, than the source; lit. “than the being-together”.

anyat (n. nom. sing. pronominal adj. anya): other, other, another, different from, opposed.

āhuḥ (3rd pl. pf. P. √ah): they said, spoke. asambhavāt (mn. abl. sing. sambhava; from

sam √bhu): than the non-origin, from the source; lit. “than the being-together”.

iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṃ yenastadvicacakṣire Thus we heard from the steady ones who showed it to us.

iti (ind.): thus; an indication that the previous words were said or thought.

śuśruma (1st pl. pf. P. √śru): (we) heard. dhīrāṇām (mfn. gen. pl. dhīra; prob. from √dhṛ

or √dhā): of the wise, skillful, clever; of the steady, constant.

ye (m. pl. relative pron. yad): who, which, what, that.

naḥ (m. acc./dat./gen. pl. short pron. asmad): (to) us, for us, of us, our.

tat (n. nom. sing. pron. tad): it, that. vicacakṣire (3rd pl. pf. P. vi √cakṣ): appeared,

shone; saw distinctly, perceived; made manifest, showed; proclaimed, told.

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sambhutiñca vināśañca yastadvedobhayaṃ saha The origin and the destruction—one who perceives those both together,

saṃbhutim (f. acc. sing. sambhuti; from sam √bhu): birth, origin, production; lit. “being-together”.

ca (ind.): and. vināśam (m. acc. sing. vināza; from vi √naś):

utter loss, annihilation, destruction, removal.

ca (ind.): and. yaḥ (m. nom. sing. relative pron. yad): who. tat (n. nom. sing. pron. tad): it, that. veda (3rd sing. pres. indic. P. √vid): knows,

perceives. ubhayam (mn. acc. sing. ubhaya): both. saha (ind.): together, along with, with.

vināśena mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā sambhutyā'mṛtamaśnute Having crossed over death with destruction, reaches the immortal with the origin.

vināśena (m. ins. sing. vināśa; from vi √naś): with/by utter loss, annihilation, destruction, removal.

mṛtyum (mf. acc. sing. mṛtyu; from √mṛ): death.

tīrtvā (ger. √tṛ): having passed across, having crossed over.

sambhutyā (f. ins. sing. sambhuti; from sam √bhu): with/by birth, origin; lit. “with/by being-together”.

amṛtam (n. acc. sing. amṛta; past pass. p. a √mṛ): immortal.

aśnute (3rd sing. pres. indic. Ᾱ. √aś): reaches, arrives at, gets, obtains.

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hiraṇmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṃ mukham By the golden goblet is covered the face of the real;

hiraṇmayena (mn. ins. sing. hiraṇmaya): with/by the golden.

pātreṇa (mn. ins. sing. pātra): with/by the goblet, bowl, cup, plate, vessel.

satyasya (mn. gen. sing. satya; pres. act. p. √as -ya): of the true, of the real; lit. “of the coming-from-being”.

apihitam (n. nom. sing. apihita; past pass. p. api √dhā): put onto; covered, concealed.

mukham (n. nom. sing. mukha): the mouth, the face.

tattvaṃ puṣannapāvṛṇu satyadharmāya dṛṣṭaye That-ness, O Pushan, unveil for real-dharma, for seeing.

tattvam (n. acc. sing. tattva; from tat -tva): truth, reality; lit. “that-ness”.

puṣan (m. voc. sing. puṣan): O Pushan (a Vedic deity; the guardian of livestock, sometimes the sun or the one who drives it).

apāvṛṇu (2nd sing. impv. apāvṛ; from apa ā √vṛ): uncover! reveal! unveil!

satya-dharmāya (comp.): for Real-Dharma6; for the dharma of the real, for the dharma from the real, etc. satya (grammar not specified; pres. act.

p. √as -ya): of/for/from/etc. the real real, the true; lit. “of/for/from/etc. the coming-from-being”.

dharmāya (mn. dat. sing. dharma; from √dhṛ): for moral or religious law, virtue; for Dharma, the god of law and justice.

dṛṣṭaye (f. dat. sing. dṛṣṭi; from √dṛś): for seeing, beholding.

6 In his translation of The Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Robert Ernest Hume suggests that the poet was referring to himself as satya-dharma.

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puṣannekarṣe yama surya prājāpatya vyuha raśmīn samuha tejaḥ O Pushan, O Solitary-Sage, O Yama, O Surya, O Descendent of Prajapati, spread apart the ray of light, bring together the brilliance!

puṣan (m. voc. sing. puṣan): O Pushan (a Vedic deity; the guardian of livestock, the sun or the one who drives it).

ekarṣe (m. voc. sing eka-ṛṣi, KD. comp.): O Solitary-Sage. eka (grammar not specified; pronominal

adj.): one, solitary, single. ṛṣe (m. voc. sing. ṛṣi; from √ṛṣ): O poet,

O sage. yama (mn. voc. sing. yama): O Yama (the god

of death), O Charioteer. surya (m. voc. sing. surya): O Surya (the sun

or its deity). prājāpatya (mn. voc. sing. prājāpatya): O

Descendant of Prajapati (the creator god, the god of procreation).

vyuha (2nd sing. impv. P. vi √uh (with saṃdhi, vyuh)): move apart, push apart.

raśmīn (m. acc. pl. raśmi): string, rope; ray of light, beam.

samuha (2nd sing. impv. P. sam √uh): move together.

tejaḥ (n. acc. sing. tejas): sharp edge, top of flame or ray; glow, splendour, brilliance; fiery energy, ardour.

yatte rupaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tatte paśyāmi yo'sāvasau puruṣaḥ so'hamasmi That which is your form most illustrious, that of you I behold. He who is that, that Purusha, he I am.

yat (n. nom. sing. relative pron. yad): who, which, what.

te (m. dat./gen. sing. short pron. yuṣmad): for you, of you.

rupam (mn. acc. sing rupa): form, shape, figure.

kalyāṇatamam (n. acc. sing. kalyāṇa-tama): most beautiful, most agreeable, most illustrious, most noble, most excellent.

tat (n. nomacc. sing. tad): that, it. te (m. dat./gen. sing. yuṣmad): for you, of you. paśyāmi (1st sing. pres. indic. P. √dṛś): I see,

behold, regard. yaḥ (m. nom. sing. relative pron. yad): who. asau (mf. nom. sing. pron. adas): that. asau (mf. nom. sing. pron. adas): that. puruṣaḥ (m. nom. sing. puruṣa): man, person;

Purusha, the primeval being who is the source of the universe.

saḥ (m. nom. sing. pron. tad): he. aham (mn. nom. sing. pron. asmad): I. asmi (1st sing. pres. indic. √as): am.

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vāyuranilamamṛtamathedaṃ bhasmāntaṃ śarīram We should blow the immortal air, Now, this is ending in ashes—the body.

vāyuḥ (3rd pl. opt. P. √vā): we should blow. 7 anilam (m. acc. sing. anila; from √an): air,

wind; Anila (the god of wind, sometimes equated with Vayu).

amṛtam (m. acc. sing. amṛta; past pass. p. a √mṛ): the immortal.

atha (ind.): now, then, moreover. idam (n. nom. sing. pron. idam): this. bhasmāntam (n. nom. sing. bhasmānta):

ending in ashes, finally burnt. śarīram (n. nom. sing. śarīra; from √śri or

√śṛ): the body.

oṃ krato smara kṛtaṃ smara krato smara kṛtaṃ smara Om O Kratu remember the done remember, O Kratu remember the done remember!

om (ind.): Om; the sacred syllable, an auspicious salutation.

krato (mf. voc. sing. kratu; from √kṛ): O Kratu (intelligence, a son of Brahmā).

smara (2nd sing. impv. P. √smṛ): remember! recollect! call to mind!

kṛtam (mn. acc. sing. kṛta; from √kṛ): done, made, performed.

smara (2nd sing. impv. P. √smṛ): remember! recollect! call to mind!

krato (mf. voc. sing. kratu; from √kṛ): O Kratu (intelligence, a son of Brahmā).

smara (2nd sing. impv. P. √smṛ): remember! recollect! call to mind!

kṛtam (mn. acc. sing. kṛta; from √kṛ): done, made, performed.

smara (2nd sing. impv. P. √smṛ): remember! recollect! call to mind!

7Alternatively, “vāyuḥ (m. nom. sing. vāyu; from √vā): air, wind; Vayu (the god of wind); breath”.

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sadā tadbhāvabhāvitaḥ That is ever caused to be by being.

sadā (ind.): always, ever, continually, perpetually.

tat (n. nom./acc. sing. tad): it, that. bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (m. nom. sing. bhāva-

bhāvita, TP. comp.): being-caused-to-be; becoming-caused-to-become; caused to be by being; caused to be from being; etc. bhāva (grammar not specified; noun

from √bhu): by/from/of/with becoming, being.8

bhāvitaḥ (m. nom. sing. bhāvita; from √bhu): caused to be, become; produced; manifested.

8 The ancient grammarian Paṇini gives three interpretations of the noun bhāva: “(1) bhāva as existence (bhavanam bhāvaḥ); (2) bhāva as something that comes into being (bhavatīti bhāvaḥ); and (3) bhāva as something that is brought into being (bhāvyate yaḥ sa bhāva iti)” (Hideyo Ogawa, Process and Language: A Study of the Mahābhāṣya Ad A1.3.1 Bhuvādayo Dhātavaḥ (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2005), 129.)