Upaniṣads · Kaṭha 1.17
॥
Devanāgarī
त्रिणाचिकेतस् त्रिभिर् एत्य सन्धिं त्रिकर्मकृत् तरति जन्ममृत्यू ।
ब्रह्मजज्ञं देवम् ईड्यं विदित्वा निचाय्येमां शान्तिम् अत्यन्तम् एति
Transliteración (IAST)
triṇāciketas tribhir etya sandhiṃ trikarmakṛt tarati janmamṛtyū /
brahmajajñaṃ devam īḍyaṃ viditvā nicāyyemāṃ śāntim atyantam eti
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
त्रिणाचिकेतःtriṇāciketaḥwho has thrice kindled the Naciketas fire (tri-nāciketa); the performer of the threefold Naciketas fire; who has laid this fire three times
त्रिभिःtribhiḥwith the three; through the three
एत्यetyahaving obtained; having joined
सन्धिम्sandhimthe bond, the union; union [with the three]; conjunction
त्रिकर्मकृत्trikarmakṛtdoer of the three works (tri-karma-kṛt: sacrifice, study, giving); performing the threefold work; faithful to the three duties
तरतिtaratihe crosses over; overcomes
जन्ममृत्यूjanmamṛtyūbirth and death; the round of birth and death
ब्रह्मजज्ञम्brahmajajñamthe knower born of Brahman (brahma-ja-jña); the divine first-born knower; who knows himself born of Brahman
देवम्devamthe shining one; the divine one
ईड्यम्īḍyamworthy of praise (from √īḍ — 'to laud'); the lauded; the revered
विदित्वाviditvāhaving known; having known
निचाय्यnicāyyahaving beheld with his own eyes (ni-√ci — 'to perceive'); having assured himself by contemplation; having discerned
इमाम्imāmthis; the present
शान्तिम्śāntimtranquillity; peace
अत्यन्तम्atyantamfully; for good
एतिetiattains; comes
Traducción
He who has thrice kindled the Naciketas fire, who has joined with the three, who does the threefold work, crosses over birth and death. Having known the praiseworthy god — the knower, born of Brahman — and having beheld him with his own eyes, he attains a peace beyond all end.
Versión
e6accc6b778b · publicado 26 jul 2026, 21:13:03 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
The formula for the fruit of the second boon, woven out of triads: tri-ṇāciketaḥ — who has laid the Naciketas fire three times; tribhir etya sandhim — "having entered into union with the three" (tradition reads: with father, mother and teacher — the three sources of knowledge; or with the three Vedas); tri-karma-kṛt — "doer of the three works": sacrifice, study and giving. A threefold clasp holds together the whole life of the twice-born — and carries him across the twofold: tarati janma-mṛtyū — "he crosses over birth-and-death".
But the core of the verse is not arithmetic but a meeting: brahmajajñaṁ devam īḍyaṁ viditvā nicāyya — "having known and beheld with his own eyes the praiseworthy god, born of Brahman, the knower". This is the first-born of creation — the cosmic Fire-Knower (Jātavedas, "who knows all that is born"), through whom Brahman is turned toward the worlds. The verbs are doubled for a reason: viditvā — having known, nicāyya — having beheld: knowledge must ripen into vision; īḍyam — "the praiseworthy": before the beheld One the heart breaks into praise — knowledge is consummated in worship.
śāntim atyantam eti — "he attains a peace beyond the end": atyanta is literally "past the end", a peace that does not cease with the worlds. So already in the second boon the third shines through: rite carried through to a meeting and a praise itself leads to the border beyond which the question of the eternal begins.