Meaning of PashyantI

[Gmail Team]

April 30, 2012

 

 Respected Scholars, Namaskar!

 

Meaning of  " PashyantI "  . I am talking in connection with ParA, PashyantI, MadhyamA and VaikharI.

 

In the dictionary of Apte, one of the meanings of PashyantI is given as a harlot.  Could anybody explain etymology of this word and how Vaak variety could have any connection with a harlot.  Am I wrong in reading dictionary? Please help. Thanks. N.R.Joshi

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[narayanan er]

The term paśyantī is derived from the root dṛś as: yā paśyati sā paśyantī by adding śatṛ affix and the feminine ṅīp. An augmentation called n is inserted in between paśya and tī to make it into paśyantī with the support of the rule śapśyanor nityam (7.1.81). The meaning is īkṣaṇakartrī, the female observer.   

---

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Subject: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Meaning of PashyantI

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[Hnbhat B.R.]

On Wed, May 2, 2012 at 1:23 AM, Gmail Team <gira...@juno.com> wrote:

April 30, 2012

 

 Respected Scholars, Namaskar!

 

Meaning of  " PashyantI "  . I am talking in connection with ParA, PashyantI, MadhyamA and VaikharI.

 

In the dictionary of Apte, one of the meanings of PashyantI is given as a harlot.  Could anybody explain etymology of this word and how Vaak variety could have any connection with a harlot.  Am I wrong in reading dictionary? Please help. Thanks. N.R.Joshi

As for the etymology of the word पश्यन्ती paśyantī is simple present participle from the verb दृशिर् प्रेक्षणे = to see (both in  literal and literary sense as the verb corresponding in English, like I see a book (the physical entity held within the sight), and also I see (- I understand what is said or read). Hope this will explain the different usages popularized by conventions. Just like पश्यक - the one who sees, becomes कश्यपः - by metathesis. according to etymologists (not for grammarians). Thus there is difference between the Grammarians and the Etymologists (Nairukta).

In this connection, all the derived from the same need not have any connection between them as you seem to have raised the question. There need not be any relation between two at any rate, even though there may be some resemblance in some.

Just I can quote for the change of meaning of to see, to look as in English. I am not sure of the usage, "to look at" has two different shades of meaning. To look at an object, like look here. The same might have lead the verb meaning to see in its present participle form. It is the physical aspect of "look at" than the critical view of a thing observed.

Monier William also gives as from Lexicon though he doesn't mention the lexicon where it is quoted.

Casting lusty looks at men, might have lead the usage of this participle in the feminine gender restricted to a harlot. 

The critical view of the things of things observed enabling their corresponding words in the language is the faculty of speech called पश्यन्ती popularized by Tantric texts as the second stage of speech production or physical and consciousness combined called as such bestowing such quality as preparatory to audible sound production.

This seems to be the relation between the two concepts (rather two words) developed independent of each other. from the same word form derived from the same verbal stem. 

There is another word for a thief:

पश्यतोहरः - one who carries away whatever he sees. it is conventionally used as a compound to denote a thief and not any carrier either human or any animal.

 

-- 

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

[Vijnasu]

PashayantI with respect to your question is the Sthara where the
decision will be made about the Aakaara to be given for the Moola
Naada originated from ParA.

> The Stunning Results of Her Wrinkle Trick Has Botox Doctors Worriedhttp://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4fa03f641b5fdc65a6cst06vuc

[rniyengar]

Dear DR.Joshi, Here is my take on your question.

Pas'yantI is that faculty of our mind that is independent of any
structured language such as English, Chinese, Kannada etc. In other
words it is the starting phase where the transition between pure
ideation and expression (mental) arises. Example: Suppose I ask in a
class consisting of international students what is the result of a
simple sum like 23x17. That is I am lecturing using English as the
medium of vocalization (vaikhari).The students will work this on their
papers MENTALLY muttering seventeen-three-sa-fifttyone; HadinELu-
moorly-eivattondu; PdinEzhu-mUnr-eimbattonn; similarly in Hindi,
Chinese etc. As the teacher I will do this in KannaDa
(mentally)because I was taught like that in my childhood days. This is
the Madhyama stage, where a medium is required even for elders. But
when the final result 391 is announced by all, there is a translation
stage to Vaikhari but I surmise there has to be a state/stage or
process that is independent of structured language because all get the
same answer! This is what I suppose to be due to 'pas'yantI'. [This is
similar to a dream state where blocks of information get exchanged
whithout uttering or speech; I mean even dream-speech].

This example could perhaps be generalized to say Pas'yantI is the
faculty existing in all human beings to various degrees to behold or
percieve commonality of even unspoken ideas. Hence
'guro:stu mounam vyaakhyaanam s'is.yaah chhinnasams'ayaah|' is a
distinct possibility. However, all pas'yantI need not be 'Pramaa'; it
may be contaminated at least partly with 'Bhramaa'. But that is
another topic.

Dhanyo'smi

RN Iyengar

On May 2, 12:53 am, "Gmail Team" <girav...@juno.com> wrote:

> The Stunning Results of Her Wrinkle Trick Has Botox Doctors Worriedhttp://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4fa03f641b5fdc65a6cst06vuc

[Hnbhat B.R.]

Thanks Prof.Iyengar for interpreting the term पश्यन्ती in a simpler way apart from the mystified Tantric concepts. I am glad to find a similar thinking person on these lines.

Apart from the elaborate explanations available in the Tantric Texts and Philosophy of Indian Grammar, a theory based on the Tantric and Vedanta concept, स्फोटवाद as expounded by the staunch follower of it, नागेश, I feel the same assuming these are the gradual stages of speech production resulting from the perception.

1. The first stage is the pure conscience or consciousness  which is a must for any speech activity identified as परा or नाद (according to a different school) and the later stages are related to the Six Cakra-s popular in योग and तन्त्र disciplines. That is how this concept is related to the speech production. This is not really a stage, but basic consciousness and called as such "त्रय्या वाचः परं पदम्" the gradual stages called as the three forms of the speech.

2. The second is पश्यन्ती as the participle itself indicates, perception through sense organs. This is also common to all human beings and also animals along with the मध्यमा and hence the statement चत्वारि वाक् परिमिता पदानि तानि विदुर्व्राह्मणा ये मनीषिण: गुहा त्रीणि निहिता नेङ्गयन्ति तुरीयां वाचो मनुष्या वदन्ति॥ ऋग्वेद १-१६४-४५ ॥... 

if the Vedic statement is taken to represent the 4 stages as described in later texts.

3. The third मध्यमा - where is the perceived idea is converted into expressible units, between the articulated speech sounds. This is also common for human and animal beings. Only the difference is they have their own encoding to express their love, sorrow etc. to their fellow beings without articulated speech while human being has developed with the help of his gift of articulated speech faculty, a encoding system which is capable of expressing any idea through the speech sounds. This lead भर्तृहरि to declare:

न सोऽस्ति प्रत्ययो लोके यः शब्दानुगमादृते।

अनुविद्धमिव ज्ञानं सर्वं शब्देन भासते॥

As some argumentative scholar remarked, "I do not know " if one cannot express what one perceives and that too expressed in words.

 As we can see, in this stage, the language systems differ with reference to the articulated speech sounds and their relation to the ideas perceived and expressed. The encoding sounds differ and encoding itself different, but many times concur. Because all perceive the same object, but express the same idea differently in different languages. This conversion to word images and images of idea-s take place in this stage between the audible speech and their visual and verbal images. बौद्धः शब्दः बौद्धश्चार्थः।

४. वैखरी is the audible speech sound articulated and as we are aware they differ and distinguishes the languages from the other. This is common to human speech sounds only.

"तुरीयां वाचं मनुष्या वदन्ति।". Yet this does not imply that all the languages are the same as they originated from the same source परा, as explained in the 3rd stage, which has got the stored images of visual and verbal images common to the particular language and the conversion to the corresponding verbal image takes place in the earlier stage itself, as English words, Sanskrit words or any language words with their sound system.

Hope this is the simplified explanation of the psychological process of the speech sounds of the language (in use written or spoken) without taking them as mystic explanations which takes a long way to understand the discipline where it is explained at length with other components.

[rniyengar]

Dr.Bhat, Thnks for your elaboration which is very appealing. I have
the following further observations which are not based on any textual
traditions but are personal.

As you have pointed out perhaps the RV hymn is the basis for the four
divisions eventually leading to 'speech'. But your second point that
'pashyanti is perception through sense organs' is not clear to me,
unless you include 'mind' as a sense organ. I am under the impression
'pashyantii' is independent of the Indriyas. Those who are unable to
speak also have the faculty of 'pashyantii'.
It may be crudely desribed as 'insight' even when the external sight
is missing or absent.

The four steps leading to Vikhari need not be restricted to
articulated linguistic expressions only. For example silent NaaTya
(mime) and paintings/figures are Vaikharii and they also pass through
the other states.

The case of Music (I mean classical) is very special. There is
'shabda' not linguistically articulated always. The performer
(instrumentalist)as well as the listener percieves some 'Jnaana' but
this can not be expressed in 'words'. Hence 'Vaikharii' is not
limited to 'speech sounds of a language', but is more general.

I have no disagreement with what you have written but trying to see
whether something more can come out of the discussion.

Thanks

RN Iyengar

On May 3, 7:47 am, "Hnbhat B.R." <hnbha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks Prof.Iyengar for interpreting the term पश्यन्ती in a simpler way
> apart from the mystified Tantric concepts. I am glad to find a similar
> thinking person on these lines.
>
> Apart from the elaborate explanations available in the Tantric Texts and
> Philosophy of Indian Grammar, a theory based on the Tantric and Vedanta
> concept, स्फोटवाद as expounded by the staunch follower of it, नागेश, I feel
> the same assuming these are the gradual stages of speech production
> resulting from the perception.
>
> 1. The first stage is the pure conscience or consciousness  which is a must
> for any speech activity identified as परा or नाद (according to a different
> school) and the later stages are related to the Six Cakra-s popular in योग
> and तन्त्र disciplines. That is how this concept is related to the speech
> production. This is not really a stage, but basic consciousness and called
> as such "त्रय्या वाचः परं पदम्" the gradual stages called as the three
> forms of the speech.
>
> 2. The second is पश्यन्ती as the participle itself indicates, perception
> through sense organs. This is also common to all human beings and also

> animals along with the मध्यमा and hence the statement *चत्वारि वाक्
> परिमिता* पदानि

> तानि विदुर्व्राह्मणा ये मनीषिण: गुहा त्रीणि निहिता नेङ्गयन्ति तुरीयां वाचो

> मनुष्या वदन्ति॥ ऋग्वेद १-१६४-४५ ॥*.**..*

> *Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R. M.A., Ph.D.,
> **Research Scholar,
> *

[V Subrahmanian]

Namaste.

Thanks Shri Narayana Iyengar for articulating some very profound thoughts.  I am inspired to add the following to your current of thought so nicely expressed:

Actually 'Creation' too  can be seen to have these stages.  One analogous situation has been presented by Sri Vidyaranya in the PanchadashI (chitradIpaprakaraNam):

यथा चित्रपटे दृष्टम् अवस्थानां चतुष्टयम् ।
परमात्मनि विज्ञेयं तथा अवस्थाचतुष्टयम् ॥१॥  

[Just as one can see four 'stages' in (the making of) a painting on a canvas, so  too one has to understand four states in the ParamAtman.]

The chapter goes on to brilliantly draw more correspondences between the canvas-painting and ParamAtman/Brahman.  It is a treat to read this chapter. In fact one can say this chapter is a treatise on the Mandukya Upanishad. 

I am giving a few more verses of the above chapter, just as a sample:

यथा धौतो घट्टितश्च लाञ्छितो रञ्जितः पटः |
चिदन्तर्यामि सूत्राणि विराट् चात्मा तथेर्यते ||२||
स्वतः शुभ्रोऽत्र धौतः स्याद्घट्टितोऽन्नविलेपनात् |
मस्याकारैर्लाञ्छितः स्याद्रञ्जितो वर्णपूरणात् ||३||
स्वतश्चिदन्तर्यामी तु मायावी सूक्ष्मसृष्टितः |
सूत्रात्मा स्थूलसृष्ट्यैष विराडित्युच्यते परः ||४||
ब्रह्माद्याःस्तम्बपर्यन्ताः प्राणिनोऽत्र जडा अपि |
उत्तमाधमभावेन वर्तन्ते पटचित्रवत् ||५||
चित्रार्पितमनुष्याणां वस्त्राभासाः पृथक्पृथक् |
चित्राधारेण वस्त्रेण सदृशा इव कल्पिताः ||६||
पृथक्पृथक्चिदाभासाश्चैतन्याध्यस्तदेहिनाम् |
कल्पान्ते जीवनामानो बहुधा संसरन्त्यमी ||७||
वस्त्राभासस्थितान्वर्णान्यद्वदाधारवस्त्रगान् |
वदन्त्यज्ञास्तथा जीवसंसारं चिद्गतं विदुः ||८||
चित्रस्थ पर्वतादीनां वस्त्राभासो न लिख्यते |
सृष्टिस्थमृत्तिकादीनां चिदाभासास्तथा न हि ||९||
संसारः परमार्थोऽयं संलग्नः स्वात्मवस्तुनि |
इति भ्रान्तिरविद्या स्याद्विद्ययैषा निवर्तते ||१०||

One can see how in the creation of a painting or the Creation of this universe there
are stages that are varying in degrees of subtlety/grossness.  As you observed,
a musician too passes his 'output' through this process while giving expression to 
his creation.

Regards,
subrahmanian.v

  

On Fri, May 11, 2012 at 1:58 PM, rniyengar <narayana...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dr.Bhat, Thnks for your elaboration which is very appealing. I have
the following further observations which are not based on any textual
traditions but are personal.

As you have pointed out perhaps the RV hymn is the basis for the four
divisions eventually leading to 'speech'. But your second point that
'pashyanti is perception through sense organs' is not clear to me,
unless you include 'mind' as a sense organ. I am under the impression
'pashyantii' is independent of the Indriyas. Those who are unable to
speak also have the faculty of 'pashyantii'.
It may be crudely desribed as 'insight' even when the external sight
is missing or absent.

The four steps leading to Vikhari need not be restricted to
articulated linguistic expressions only. For example silent NaaTya
(mime) and paintings/figures are Vaikharii and they also pass through
the other states.

The case of Music (I mean classical) is very special. There is
'shabda' not linguistically articulated always. The performer
(instrumentalist)as well as the listener percieves some 'Jnaana' but
this can not be expressed in 'words'.  Hence 'Vaikharii' is not
limited to 'speech sounds of a language', but is more general.

I have no disagreement with what you have written but trying to see

whether something more can come out of the discussion.  Man first has ideas and then expresses them in words or pictures or poems or songs or what not.  One could say that even an expert Cook can be an example for this scheme.  

Thanks

RN Iyengar

[rniyengar]

Dear Sri Subrahmanian,

Your post is very interesting indeed!

 

As far as I could follow the अवस्थाचतुष्टयम्  are धौतो घट्टित लाञ्छितो and रञ्जितः for the cloth. The correspondence on the otherside would be चिदन्तर्यामि सूत्राणि विराट्.   So in this description पश्यन्ती would correspond with Antaryaami. Am I correct?  I have not read or studied Vedanta, (any of the three major branches) texts in the original. My knowledge is limited to Kannada and English books. Hence I realize I have to be careful even in formulating my question!

My question is: has VidyaaraNya Swami anywhere equated the Paraa, PashyantI, Madhyama and VaikharI with the above four? If yes, does this mean as per the PanchadashI, the  विराट् is the Vaak of Paramaatman? In this model where does TIME come into picture? I can see that in the 'chitra-paTa' there are four consecutive steps and hence they happen one after another. In the case of  तुरीयां वाचो मनुष्या वदन्ति॥ ऋग्वेद १-१६४-४५ ॥...  quoted by Dr.Bhat there is timewise development (even if it be very fast) but in the case of 'Paramaatman (for sake of argument only!) all the FOUR seem to be always existing at best in a mutually dependent circular fashion! 

 

Kind regards

 

RN Iyengar

[Hnbhat B.R.]

एष सर्वेश्वर एष सर्वज्ञ एषोऽन्तर्यामी एष योनिः सर्वस्य प्रभवाप्ययौ हि भूतानाम् (माण्डूक्य०, ६). makes any activity of human being or non-human being dominated by the सर्वज्ञ, and as you suggested, the cycle of परा-पश्यन्ती-मध्यमा-वैखरी being the activity of जीवात्मा, through the domination of परमात्मा, one can make every description in any school of thoughts, as could easily brought within the वेदान्त descriptions in one way or other. 

This is what I could grasp from his message.  Hope he will explain clearly the relation of his message with the description in question related to पश्यन्ती form of the speech in clear words and plainly. I had the question in mind, but you have raised it. 

अवस्थाचतुष्टय in Vedanata, is related to स्वप्न, जाग्रद्, सुषुप्ति -and the fourth तुरीय state of the जीव - where the fourth is described वनवृक्षतदवच्छिन्नाकाशयोर्जलाशयजलतद्गतप्रतिबिम्बाकाशयो-
र्वाधारभूतानुपहिताकाशवदनयोरज्ञानतदुपहितचैतन्ययो- राधारभूतं यदनुपहितं चैतन्यं तत्तुरीयमित्युच्यते "शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते (स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः )" (माण्डू उ ७ )इत्यादिश्रुतेः .. ४९.. इदमेव तुरीयं शुद्धचैतन्यमज्ञानादितदुपहितचैतन्याभ्यां तप्तायः पिण्डवदविविक्तं सन्महावाक्यस्य वाच्यं विविक्तं सल्लक्ष्यमिति चोच्यते .. ५०..in वेदान्तसार and

and the other states respectively enumerated

जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तिषु स्फुटतरं योऽसौ समुज्जृम्भते 

प्रत्यग्रूपतया सदाहमहमित्यन्तः स्फुरन्नैकधा। 

......ब्रह्मप्रत्ययसन्ततिर्जगदतो ब्रह्मैव तत्सर्वतः 

पश्याध्यात्मदृशा प्रशान्तमनसा सर्वास्ववस्थास्वपि।

in विवेकचूडामणि also.It may not be directly related to the four fold division of speech as in the Tantra texts and वाक्यपदीय - शब्दाद्वैत. "शब्दे अर्थाध्यासः, अर्थे शब्दाध्यासः, इतरेतराध्यासः " are his commonly used phrases in common to अध्यास concept in वेदान्त.

This much I can recollect from my memory about Vedanta texts learnt for Exam purpose.

-- 

Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R. M.A., Ph.D.,

Research Scholar,