Words - hell, wine, mountain, cloud etc.

Explanation of following words are found interspersed between the discussion from Chapter 1, Section 10 - 20:

‘गिरः’ (giraḥ) means 'song' or 'speech', derived from the root ‘गृ’ (gṛ) which means ‘to speak’ - गिरो गृणाते: (Sec. 10)

‘नरकं’ (narakaṃ) means ‘hell’. It has the sense of going downwards - नरकं न्यरकं नीचैर्गमनम्

Or it is so called because it doesn’t have even the slightest room for happiness - नास्मिन् रमणं स्थानमल्पमप्यस्तीति वा (Sec. 11)

‘सुरा’ (surā) is the word for wine, it means ‘to press or to extract’ (wine is made by extracting the juices of fruits) - सुरा सुनोते: (Sec. 11)

‘बिल्व’ (bilva) means a ‘creeper plant’. It is so called from being supported or from sprouting - बिल्वं भरणाद्वा भेदनाद्वा (At the end of Sec. 14)

‘त्विषिता’ (tviṣitā) means shining, ‘त्विषि:’ (tviṣi: ) being a synonym of light - त्विषितो ज्वलित: I त्विषिरित्यप्यस्य दीप्तिनाम भवति I (At the end of Sec. 17)

‘स्थाणु’ (sthāṇu) means ‘pillar’, so called because it has the sense of staying at one place - स्थाणुस्तिष्ठते: (At the end of Sec. 18)

Following words are all from Section 20:

The word ‘धातु‘(dhātu) means ‘word root’ as it has the sense of ‘to give’ or ‘to produce’ – धातुर्दधाते: (Mr. Sarup has taken a different meaning here.)

The word ‘मृग’ (mṛga) means ‘animal’, it has the sense of ‘going’ - मृगो मार्ष्टर्गतिकर्मणः

‘भीम’ (bhīma) is one of whom all are afraid – भीमो बिभ्यत्यस्मात् – ‘भीष्म’ (bhīṣma) means the same

‘कुचर’ (kucara) is one who moves in a crooked manner – कुचर इति चरति कर्म कुत्सितम्  - If it is used as an epithet of a deity, then it means ‘where does he not go?’ – क्वायं न चरतीति

‘गिरिः’ (giriḥ) means 'mountain', as it has the sense of being 'raised upwards' - समुद्गीर्णो भवति

'पर्वत' (parvata) also means 'mountain', as it is composed of a number of raised sections - पर्ववान् पर्वतः

‘मेघ’ (megha) means 'cloud', it too has the same sense of being 'raised upwards' – मेघोSपि गिरिरेतस्मादेव

Conjunctive Particles - कर्मोपसंग्रहार्थ निपात - Part 3

The conjunctive particles as given in Nirukta, Chapter 1, Section 7 and 8 are continued here:

11.  'सीम्' (sīm) has the sense of totality (परिग्रहार्थ) or it is used as an expletive (पदपूरणः) - “प्र सीमादित्यो असृजत” (Aditya sent them forth – on all sides or from all sides).

The word ‘सुरुच’ (suruca) means rays of the sun so called on account of their brilliant light – सुरोचनात्

 

12. ‘त्व’ (tva)  is a pronoun with the sense of opposition/restrain* (विनिग्रहार्थ). Some hold it to be a synonym of ‘half’. 

*English translation taken from Mr. Sarup's book. But I feel the sense is not rightly communicated.
Readers are advised to look at the examples and understand the intent of Nirukta.

 

Example:

"ऋचां त्वः पोषमास्ते पुपुष्वान्गायत्रं त्वो गायति शक्वरीषु |

ब्रह्मा त्वो वदति जातविद्यां यज्ञस्य मात्रां वि मिमीत उ त्वः ||" (Rig Veda 1 10.71.11)

(One plies his constant task reciting verses, one sings the ‘gayatra’ hymn in Sakvari measures

One Brahma tells the knowledge of being and one lays down the rules of yajña)

(Now the roots of some of the words used in above phrase are explained)

The word ‘ऋचा’ (ṛcā) means a Vedic hymn used for prayer i.e. अर्चना (arcanā) – ऋगर्चनी

‘गायत्रं’ (gāyatraṃ) has the sense of 'singing a praise' from ‘गा’ (gā) - गायत्रं गायते: स्तुतिकर्मणः

‘शक्वर्य’ (śakvarya) is a type of Vedic hymn. The word is derived from ‘शक्नोते’ which means ‘to be able’. It is so called because with these hymns was one able to slay Vrtra (a demon) – तद् यदाभिर्वृत्रमशकद्धन्तुं तच्छक्वरीणाम शक्वरीत्वम्

(The last part of the second line of above mantra refers to a type of priest called ‘अध्वर्यु’. Its derivation is now explained)

‘अध्वर्यु’ (adhvaryu) is so called because:

 

a. Either because he directs or leads the yajña - अध्वरं युनक्ति I अध्वरस्य नेता
b.  Or because he desires (which is the first step of a yajña in the form of a sankalpa) - अध्वरं कामयत इति वा
c. Or the word is formed by the addition of the suffix ‘यु’ (yu) to ‘अधि’ (adhi) in the sense of 'studying' – अपि वाधियाने युरुपबन्धः

‘अध्वर’ (adhvara) is a synonym of yajña. ‘ध्वर’ means ‘to kill’ and ‘adhvara’ denotes the negation of killing.

(Further discussion related to ‘त्व’ is not presented here. With this, the series on conjunctive particles comes to an end.)

 

Conjunctive Particles - कर्मोपसंग्रहार्थ निपात - Part 2

The conjunctive particles as given in Nirukta, Chapter 1, Section 5 - 7 are continued here:

9.      ‘शश्वत्’ (śaśvat) has the sense of uncertainty (विचिकित्सार्थ) in classical Sanskrit (भाषा). It is used as an interrogation in the sentence “शश्वदेवम्” (was it ever so?), and it is used as an interrogation but not to oneself in the sentence “एवं शश्वत्” (was it ever so, pray?)

10.  ‘नूनं’ (nūnam) - in classical Sanskrit (भाषा), it has the sense of uncertainty (विचिकित्सार्थ) and in Vedic Sanskrit (अन्वध्यायं), it has both the sense of uncertainty and an expletive (पदपूरणः).

Example:

"अगस्त्य इन्द्राय हविर्निरुप्य मरुद्भ्यः सम्प्रदित्सांचकार I स इंद्र एत्य परिदेवयांचक्रे

न नूनमस्ति नो श्व: कस्तद्वेद यदद्भुतम् । अन्यस्य चित्तमभि संचरेण्यमुताधीतं विनश्यति" (Rig Veda - 1.170.1)

(Agastya, having assigned an oblation to Indra, desired to offered it to the Maruts. Indra, having presented himself, said, ”It is neither in the present time nor the future. Who has been able to know that which is the most wonderful? On one’s mind, it is active but when it is approached by thought it is lost.) (The translation given by Mr. Sarup for this hymn is different.)

 

(Now the roots of some of the words used in above phrase are explained)

It is not today (अद्य) (i.e. not in the present time) nor indeed tomorrow (श्वः) (i.e. in future).

The word ‘अद्य’ (adya) means ‘on this day’ - अद्यास्मिन द्यवि

The word ‘द्युह’ (dyuh) is a synonym of ‘day’ because it is bright – द्योतत इति सतः 

The word for ‘tomorrow’ is ‘श्वः’ (śvaḥ) – the time that is yet to come - श्व उपाशंसनीयः कालः

The word for ‘past’ is ‘ह्यः’ (hyaḥ) – the time that has expired - ह्यो हीनः कालः

‘अद्भुतम्’ (adbhutam) is the word for wonderful, so called because it is unprecedented - इदमपीतरदद्भुतमभूतमिव

The word for ‘other’ (anya) is अन्य, so called because it is yet to be brought to notice -  अन्यो नानेयः

The word for ‘mind’ is ‘चित्त’ (citta), so called because it enables one to know - चित्तं चेतते:

 

In following example, ‘नूनं’ is used as an expletive:

"नूनं सा ते परति वरं जरित्रे दुहीयदिन्द्र दक्षिणा मघोनी |
शिक्षा सतोत्र्भ्यो माति धग भगो नो बर्हद वदेम व स ||" (Rig Veda – 2.11.21)

(Now let that wealthy cow of thine, O Indra, yield in return a boon to him who lauds thee. Give to thy praisers: let not fortune fail us. Loud may we speak, with brave men, in the assembly.)

(Now the roots of some of the words used in above phrase are explained)

The word for ‘boon’ is ‘वर’ (vara), so called because it is to be chosen -  वरो वारयितव्यो भवति

The word ‘जरिता’ (jaritā) means one who sings praises - जरिता गरिता

 The word ‘मघम’ (maghama) is a synonym of wealth, derived from the root ‘मंह्’ meaning ‘to give’ - मंहतेर्दानकर्मणः (This derivation seems doubtful to me. Mr. Sarup has cited Patanjali)

‘दक्षिणा’ (dakṣiṇā) means ‘fee’. It has the sense of  'causing to accomplish' from ‘दक्ष’ (dakṣa) –  the fee to the priest causes the ritual to be accomplished - दक्षिणा दक्षते समर्थयतिकर्मणः

With reference to direction, it means the right hand – दिग्घस्तप्रक्रितिर्दाक्षिणो हस्तः

‘दक्षिण’ (dakṣiṇa) means 'right' - it has the sense of 'working well' from ‘दक्ष’ - दक्षतेरुत्साहकर्मणः or from the root ‘दाश्’ meaning ‘to give’ – दाशतेर्वा स्याद दानकर्मणः

The word ‘हस्त’ (hasta) means ‘hand’ and it is derived from the root ‘हन्’ which means ‘to strike’ as a hand is used to strike – हस्तो हन्ते:

The word ‘भग‘ (bhaga) means ‘good fortune’ from ‘भज्‘ - भगो भजते:

The word ‘बृहत्‘ (bṛhat) means ‘big’ or ‘great’ as it grows all around - बृहदिति महतो नामधेयम् परिवृहलं भवति

‘वीर’ (vīra) means a ‘hero’, called so because he disperses the enemies - वीरो वीरयत्यमित्रान् or it may be derived from the root ‘वी’ (vī) meaning 'to go’ or from the root  ‘वीर‘  (vīra) which means ‘powerful' - वेतेर्वा स्याद्गतिकर्मणः वीरयतेर्वा