उपनिषद् · Kaṭha 1.7
॥
देवनागरी
वैश्वानरः प्रविशति अतिथिर् ब्राह्मणो गृहान् ।
तस्यैतां शान्तिं कुर्वन्ति हर वैवस्वतोदकम्
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
vaiśvānaraḥ praviśati atithir brāhmaṇo gṛhān /
tasyaitāṃ śāntiṃ kurvanti hara vaivasvatodakam
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
वैश्वानरःvaiśvānaraḥVaiśvānara ('belonging to all men' — a name of fire); the universal fire; the fire in every house
प्रविशतिpraviśatienters; steps in
अतिथिःatithiḥa guest (a-tithi — 'one who comes on no appointed day'); an unlooked-for visitor; a wayfarer
ब्राह्मणःbrāhmaṇaḥa brāhmaṇa; a bearer of sacred knowledge
गृहान्gṛhāninto houses; into dwellings
तस्यtasyafor him; it
एताम्etāmthis; such
शान्तिम्śāntimappeasement; a pacification; tranquillity
कुर्वन्तिkurvantithey make; they perform
हरharabring; take
वैवस्वतvaivasvataO Vaivasvata ('son of Vivasvat', the sun — a name of Yama); O son of the Sun; O Yama
उदकम्udakamthe waters; water
अनुवाद
A brāhmaṇa guest enters houses as the fire Vaiśvānara; him they appease: "O Vaivasvata, bring water!"
संस्करण
e998736442ce · प्रकाशित 26 जुल॰ 2026, 9:13:03 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The scene changes: Naciketas is at Yama's halls, but the master is not at home, and the boy waits at the threshold three days without food. This verse is the voice of Death's household, alarmed at the waiting of a holy guest: vaiśvānaraḥ praviśati — "[as] the fire Vaiśvānara enters" does a brāhmaṇa guest enter a house.
The comparison of a guest to fire is an exact law, not a polite hyperbole. atithi — "guest" — literally means "one who comes on no schedule" (a-tithi — "without an appointed day"): in the unlooked-for arrival the sacred order itself visits the house, and like fire he either sanctifies the house of one who honours him or burns up the merits of one who slights him. Hence the urgency: hara vaivasvatodakam — "bring water, O Vaivasvata!" — water for the washing of feet is the first gesture of hospitality.
Vaivasvata — "son of Vivasvat", the sun — is a solemn name of Yama. The Upaniṣad gives it here for a reason: the very lord of dharma, who judges the dead according to their deeds, is now to find himself a debtor before the law of hospitality. Dharma is one from top to bottom: it binds the boy, and his father, and Death herself.