तोरण as an adjective?

[wlharris]

Dear respected pariṣat, 

I am seeking input for a curious use of the word तोरण/toraṇa I've encountered in a South Indian sthaḷamāhātmya I am reading for my forthcoming doctoral dissertation. I am well aware of the architectural significance(s) of the word toraṇa, but in the verses in question (cited below) the word seems to be serving as an adjective or descriptor -- perhaps meaning something like "big," "grand," "chief." Here are the passages in question:

uttoraṇa iti khyātaḥ (tatrāgānnirupaplavaḥ)
tenārdiṃtā purāhye te kalingāśrayiņo janāḥ || 49. 21 ||
rakṣa rakṣeti samjalpan śaraṇyam śaraņam yayau |
bhaktasya bhāvanāsiddho vairiņastoraņātmanaḥ || 49.24 ।।
avekṣya daityamāyāntaṃ grasantamiva bhūtalam |
toraņākāramallāsī devaḥ smitalasanmukhaḥ || 49.26 ।।
purataḥ purato yāhi nānādeśāvalokinaḥ |
mametyājñāpayatso'pi toraņātmā tadābhavat ||49.27 ।।
śārdūla eșa durdānto vāhanaṃ yāti toraņaḥ |
purataḥ phālanayanaṃ kāhalī cāśarīriņī || 50.19 ||

For context, the cited passages appear in the section of the Kadalīmañjunāthamāhātmya (eulogizing the Kadri Manjunath temple in present day Mangaluru) dedicated to narratives of the Navanāthas. The text's Sanskrit, at least in the extant witnesses/editions, is irregular at times -- at least from a Pāṇinian perspective.

Also, Uttoraṇa appears to be the proper name of a demon tamed by one of the Navanāthas, but I have included it in the cited passage as its semantic range seems to overlap with the other uses of toraṇa.

Given the text's South Indian pedigree, some scholars have suggested consulting Dravidian dictionaries for alternative definitions of toraṇa, but this approach has not borne any fruit.

Therefore, I am turning to the collective wisdom of this respected community.

Full disclosure: I understand this community has rules against cross posting. I did post this question in other forums, however I received zero replies. Thus, I hope you all will forgive this bending of the rules.

With my utmost gratitude,

Westin Harris
Doctoral Candidate
Study of Religion
University of California, Davis

[Bijoy Misra]

Dear Mr Harris,

Should it not be part of your graduate work?

I suggest you search and discover how words transform through grammar.

Best regards,

Bijoy Misra

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[Westin Harris]

Dear Mr. Misra ji,

Many thanks for your suggestion.

My dissertation research examines siddha and Nath narratives spanning several languages, ranging from Sanskrit and Tibetan to "old" vernaculars like Marathi, Odia, and Nepali/Khas Kura. Therefore, I am indeed fascinated by the ways words transform through grammar.

However, my dissertation research is not explicitly grammatical or linguistic in its focus; rather it is narratological and art historical. Like all dissertation projects, I am limited by time, scope, methodology, and my own intellectual shortcomings. This is why I am humbly turning to the collective wisdom of this esteemed community, as there are other scholars here whose virtuosity of India's ancient grammatical and linguistic sciences far surprises my limited capacities.

By your reference to "the way words transform through grammar" in your reply, are you suggesting that the use of toraṇa in these passages is a result of sandhi or is a derivation or inflection of some other word or root (Sanskrit or otherwise)? I would be immensely grateful for you to elaborate further if you are aware of such a grammatical solution.

To be clear, the curious use of this term toraṇa in these passages is in no way central to my dissertation's key arguments and interventions -- it is merely an interesting puzzle that had intrigued (and stumped) me, so I thought it might intrigue others as well. I humbly apologize if I gave the impression of trying to cut corners in my graduate work by asking for this group's help, but I was under the impression that these are precisely the sorts of questions for which this group was founded.

Thank you again for your suggestion and I will meditate upon its potential application(s) in this case.

Sincerely,

Westin Harris
Ph.D. Candidate

Study of Religion 
University of California, Davis

https://religionsgrad.ucdavis.edu/people/westin-harris

2021 Dissertation Fellow,

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies

Sarva Mangalam.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bvparishat/CALw-kjUT0ftE9prv7phGCbO%2Bfy-YhOCHDWpTCyxpRC1FAMZTsg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Dear Harris, 

Your post is welcome in this group. 

No need to apologize. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bvparishat/CANJQKUN%3DZOY1C-gCUbdLuZM%2BAka49AfxaCyGiRBvk4KyNunycQ%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Nagaraj Paturi

Kulapati | Vice-Chancellor, INDICA

 

 

 

[Bijoy Misra]

Dear Mr Harris,

I would like you to get a feel of the Sanskrit linguistics to check how the idea becomes a tree.

It will be a door to good intellectual discovery rather than discovering who did what. 

Any dictionary meaning without appreciating the concept is a mistake in my opinion.

It is worth giving some time in exploring the grandeur of conceptualization.  It will help you immensely in studying texts.

Do well.

Bijoy Misra

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[Mahamaho. Subrahmanyam Korada]

नमो विद्वद्भ्यः

तोरणः - तोरणम् -- उत्तोरणः

This term is listed in अर्धर्चादिगण ( पा अर्धर्चादयः पुंसि च 2-4-31) by Panini - so you can have the word in both पुंलिङ्ग and नपुंसकलिङ्ग --  तोरणः - तोरणम् ।

तूरी (=गति-त्वरणहिंसनयो) - दिवादिः - तूर्यते । पा ’कृत्यल्युटो बहुलम्’ पा 3-3-113 - ल्युट् प्रत्ययः । तोरणम् ।

तोरणः -- शिवः / हिंसकः / killer (विशेषणम्)।

In Telugu states (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) and in South India तोरणम् / arch made of small branches of mango tree is tied across  both the 

frames of the front and back doorways on every festival and any auspicious occasion such as marriage .

Some people make the arch with flowers -

if the arch is done upright it is called उत्तोरणम् । Usage can be traced to रघुवंश , कुमारसंभव etc. .

uttoraṇa iti khyātaḥ (tatrāgānnirupaplavaḥ)
tenārdiṃtā purāhye te kalingāśrayiņo janāḥ || 49. 21 ||
rakṣa rakṣeti samjalpan śaraṇyam śaraņam yayau |

uttoraṇa iti khyātaḥ  -- the one who is notorious by the name उत्तोरण (आख्याह्वे अभिधानं च नामधेयं च नाम च - अमरः )

(tatrāgānnirupaplavaḥ) - went there without agitation / hesitation .

tenārdiṃtā purāhye te - 2 errors -- तेनार्दिता पुराह्येते - ( these people of Kalinga ) troubled by him earlier (अर्द = हिंसायाम् - चुरादिः) ।

śaraṇyam śaraņam yayau -  error -- शरण्यं शरणं ययुः - sought the protector for asylum (शरणेषु साधुः शरण्यः - पा ’तत्र साधुः’ 4-4-98 यत् प्रत्ययः)।

तोरणात्मा -  one with violent behaviour (तस्य तोरणात्मनः) ।

toraņākāramallāsī -  error - तोरणाकारमल्लो’सि - you are like a मल्ल (expert in a मल्लयुद्धम्) in the form of  शिव ।

धन्यो’स्मि

Dr.Korada Subrahmanyam

Prof of Sanskrit (Retd)

Chairman , Bharateeya Vidvat Parishat

Ph:09866110741

https://sites.google.com/view/koradeeyam/home

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[Westin Harris]

Dear respected sirs,

Dr. Paturi jī: I am humbled by our personal note of welcome. 

Dr. Misra jī: I am truly grateful for your thoughtful words of advice, and I will meditate upon them sincerely. I agree that dictionary definitions only offer a very limited (and often skewed) perspective (given the colonial legacies and politics of linguistic imperialism often lurking just beneath the surface). May we continue learning in each other's good company, mutually sheltered undered the vast metaphorical "tree" of Indian knowledge systems.

Dr. Subrahmanyam jī: These are immensely helpful leads, and I am especially touched that you have also taken the time to clarify several errors in the edition. Your references to the शिवः / हिंसकः significations of the word तोरणः (viz. तूरी [=गति-त्वरणहिंसनयो] - दिवादिः - तूर्यते) are especially exciting, as they seems to fit the context (as established by the surrounding verses) rather nicely! 

I offer you three my deepest gratitude. 

Sincerely,

Westin Harris
Ph.D. Candidate
Study of Religion 
University of California, Davis

https://religionsgrad.ucdavis.edu/people/westin-harris

2021 Dissertation Fellow,

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies

Sarva Mangalam.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bvparishat/CAKj2ELSvVoAB5s0qsDUbW7EFxE%2BddqALqLVbAJ_Dix_mXDLOPw%40mail.gmail.com.