Tika lakshanam - How and Why about commentaries

[SriKanth!]

सभायै नम:

I have just started reading Srimad Ramayana with 3 different
commentaries (published by Parimal Publications). Though I am just
stepping into Sanskrit, I could understand the commentary to a fair
extent. The commentators have done extra-ordinary work in bringing the
interested reader into Ramayana in some places even going all the way
into explaining what the च, हि etc in the slokas are for.

It makes me wonder is there any lakshna, rules in writing Tika for a
great work like Srimad Ramayana. How are the Tika commentaries
arranged in explaining Slokas?

I could see in some places the commentator like Govindaraja indicates
with a single word "matup" to indicate the word is matup Pratyaya in
grammar. In other places he goes on giving quotations from a number of
works, upanishads, shruti etc.

I am sure there must be some set of alankaras, rules in writing Tika.
If I am aware of that, that would improve my reading experience I
think.

Learned scholars may help out. Pardon my English.

धन्यवाद:
श्रिकान्तः

[Eddie Hadley]

Sri Kanth,

 

I can direct you to a very recent (2007) 300 page work that is dedicated to the very subject.

Describing the standard formula employed by commentators.

 

It is though, written entirely in English, where even the Devanagari is Romanised, but this Welshman reckons that your English is more that up to it.

Even so, you can view sample pages, content pages, etc. and judge that for yourself.

http://www.amazon.com/Scholastic-Sanskrit-Students-Treasury-Sciences/dp/0975373471

 

 

MatUP is there. (page 81):

 

    (The possessive suffix) matUP expressing constant connection. The condition of being that.

 

 

 

Here is the publishers blurb, which for once does, not exaggerate:

 

“This volume gives a complete introduction to the techniques and procedures of Sanskrit commentaries, including detailed information on the overall structure of running commentaries, the standard formulas of analysis of complex grammatical forms, and the most important elements of commentarial style. Since the majority of expository texts in Sanskrit are composed in the form of commentaries on earlier texts, this Manual will be of great use to many Sanskrit translators. Furthermore, because many philosophical and scientific texts are written in the style of formal debate using the same basic principles, the features covered in the manual are useful for reading all expository texts, whether they are commentaries or not.”

 

iti

 

You can also see in the sample pages, under the section headed ‘0.2 The five services of a commentary’, that apparently very little original manuscript material is extant.

 

But I can’t confirm that.

 

Regards,

 

    Eddie

 

 

 

[Hnbhat B.R.]

I don't think we can set any strict rule for writing Tika and we can
chose our own guide lines for writing a Tika, if we want. Only read
and enjoy the Tika-s to increase your knowledge of Sanskrit Literature
and Language and don't waste time in finding out the arrangement for
presenting the commentaries or Tika-s.

This is my sincere advice for any beginner. If you want to just to
know what does a टीका means please follow this thread for different
conventions of naming टीका-s :

https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!searchin/samskrita/समीक्षा$20/samskrita/QIlRjvk4plU/XIG9vQOfpzYJ

I don't think that makes any difference in your understanding the text.

This is a general definition of a commentary:

पदच्छेदः पदार्थोक्तिर्विग्रहो वाक्ययोजना |
आक्षेपेषु (पस्य) समाधानं व्याख्यानं पंचलक्षणम् ||.

Commentators are free to offer explanation in any way they feel proper
for their writing. Please enjoy their style of writing and try to
understand the text from different points of view presented by the
commentators, than spending time in unnecessary inquiries.

--
Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R. M.A., Ph.D.,
Research Scholar,
Ecole française d'Extrême-OrientCentre de Pondichéry
16 & 19, Rue Dumas
Pondichéry - 605 001

[Eddie Hadley]

Dr,

 

==>

This is a general definition of a commentary:

पदच्छेदः पदार्थोक्तिर्विग्रहो वाक्ययोजना |

आक्षेपेषु (पस्य) समाधानं व्याख्यानं पंचलक्षणम् ||

 

padacchedaḥ padārthoktirvigraho vākyayojanā |)

ākṣepeṣu (pasya) samādhānaṃ vyākhyānaṃ paṃcalakṣaṇam ||).

==>

 

If I may provide a student's viewpoint:

 

The work I refer to is to enable the student who has not been raised into the native culture of the text to dicipher a Sanskrit commentary of any level.

 

It is the product of feedback from the students themselves, of the difficulties they experience.

 

The good Dr must realise that the direct comparison of one one text with another can only be instructive, after each individual text as been laboured over.

 

 

By way of comparison, here is exact text, written to please the student.

The service of पदच्छेदः (padacchedaḥ pada-cchedaḥ) duly provided by the happy lecturers.

 

 

I quote:

 

“The above is given in a verse from the Parāśarapurāṇa that is quoted in the Nyāyakośa.

 

pada-cchedaḥ padārthoktir vigraho vākya-yojanā |

ākṣepeṣu samādhānaṃ vyākhyānaṃ pañca-lakṣaṇam ||.

 

These five services correspond, in this same order, to the problems most often faced by students attempting to dicipher a Sanskrit text.”

 

 

 

Eddie

 

    Author of English language Computer manuals, of User and System Administrator level,

approved by MODA (Ministry of Defence and Aviation) and used at KKIA International Airport.

 

Used by natives of both India and Pakistan, not to mention the locals and internationals, known to be quite happy users.

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[Aditya B.S.A]

Hi, Srikanth. Could you share the Govindarajiyam commentary? I would like to read it, as well. Thanks.

[SriKanth!]

I have purchased hardcopy from Parimal publications. However 6
different sanskrit commentaries including Govindarajiyam are available
here:

http://valmiki.iitk.ac.in/index.php?id=introduction


dhanyavada:
Srikanth.

On Jan 26, 6:04 pm, "Aditya B.S.A" <amrda...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi, Srikanth. Could you share the Govindarajiyam commentary? I would like
> to read it, as well. Thanks.

[Shan]

Dear Sri Kanth,

 

Please post the URL Or attach the file abd send it to the goup so others akso can get it

 

Thanks,

 

Shan

[Ajit Gargeshwari]

Hi Aditya,

It available at http://www.ignca.nic.in/asp/searchBooks.asp

All the 6 volumes can be downloaded, the book includes commentary of Govindaraja

If you are interested in Parimala Publications please see

http://www.parimalpublication.com/

Regards
Ajit Gargeshwari

[Aditya B.S.A]

Thanks a lot, Ajit and Srikanth.That parimal publications link wasn't working though. Does anyone know if they operate out of Bangalore? I too would like to buy the book with the commentaries....

[Ajit Gargeshwari]

If you are from Bangalore Please Visit Vedanta Book House opposite to Uma Talkis Theater, Chamrajpet. They sell Sanskrit Books


Ajit Gargeshwari