*Verse number 1.2.1 of Katha (story) Upanishadha (the “Story of Nachiketa”) stands out for its stark simplicity of meaning and its poetic resonance. The Upanishada (कठोपनिषद्) is one of the principal Upanishadhas and one of the most philosophically influential texts of the Upanishadic corpus. It is associated with the Krishna Yajurveda, specifically the Katha (कठ) school (śākhā). Unlike Shukla Yajurveda (to which Isha Upnishadha belongs) the Krishna Yajurveda intermixes the mantras and the prose commentary/explanations together in the same sections, making it more complex to study.
However, despite being part of the Krishna Yajurveda, verse 1.2.1 of the Katha Upanishad is remarkably simple in its expression. It can therefore serve as an excellent example for understanding the method of approaching and interpreting Sanskrit poetic texts.
The following is the original verse:
अन्यच्छ्रेयोऽन्यदुतैव प्रेयस्ते उभे नानार्थे पुरुषँ सिनीतः ।
तयोः श्रेय आददानस्य साधुर्भवति हीयतेऽर्थाद्य उ प्रेयो वृणीते ॥ १ ॥
To lay bare the meaning of a Sanskrit verse, the critics in their first step, deconstruct the verse is such a way that its each single word (पद) (called pada) stands out. This process is called pada viccheda (पद विच्छेद or पदच्छेद). A tentative meaning of the verse emerges the moment we do pada viccheda of the verse. For example, if we do pada viccheda, that is, deconstruct the above mantra we get the following deconstructed form:
अन्यत् । श्रेयः । अन्यत् । उत । एव । प्रेयः । ते । उभे । नानार्थे । पुरुषम् । सिनीते ।
तयोः । श्रेयः । आददानस्य । साधुः । भवति । हीयते । अर्थात् । यः । उ । प्रेयः । वृणीते ॥
This deconstructed form of the mantra lays bare the meaning of each word or pada and, to some extent, give a tentative meaning of the mantra.
The next step is padānvaya.
Padānvaya means rearranging the words of a verse into their natural, logical, prose order so that their grammatical and syntactical relationships become clear.
अन्यत् श्रेयः, अन्यत् उत एव प्रेयः। ते उभे नानार्थे पुरुषं सिनीते।
तयोः श्रेयः आददानस्य साधुः भवति। यः उ प्रेयः वृणीते, सः अर्थात् हीयते।
Let me for example take up the first line and its word-for-word meaning.
अन्यत् श्रेयः, अन्यत् उत एव प्रेयः। ते उभे नानार्थे पुरुषं सिनीते।
Shreya is different, preya is quite different. They both variously trap a man.
तयोः श्रेयः आददानस्य साधुः भवति। यः उ प्रेयः वृणीते, सः अर्थात् हीयते।
Those who prefer shreya become sadhu (wise). Those who choose preya, go astray.
The overall meaning, therefore, is: The virtuous/righteous/(Śreyas) path is different, and the pleasant/dear one (Preyas) is quite another. Both have different ways. The one who chooses the virtuous/righteous one, fares well; but those who chooses the pleasant one, goes astray.
It’s indeed true that all mantras are not as simple as this one. In fact, mantras like Katha (1.1.17) are mind boggling, even baffling, at times, and deserve patient study because the very word mantra (मन्त्र), in Sanskrit means “to think” or “to reflect,” or through contemplation.