Understanding the examples from Panini sutra 8.4.3

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Raghav K

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Oct 28, 2023, 3:59:52 AM10/28/23
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Dear scholars,

For the sutra pUrva padAt samjnyAyAm agah - as examples of substitutions, the following are quoted: druNasah, vAdhrINasah, kharaNasah, shUrpaNakhA and as example of the necessity of being a samjnA pada, charma-nAsikah is quoted. shUrpaNakhA refers to a specific lady from the RamayaNa, but the rest of the words (e.g., tree-nosed, sharp-nosed,) are they also referring to any specific beings (e.g., an antelope, a rhinoceros, an eagle, or more specifically Garuda etc.)? 

I came across this explanation for vAdhrInasah: kR^iShNagrIvo raktashirAH shvetapakSho vihagamaH. sa vai vAdhrINasaH prokto yAj~nikaiH pitR^ikarmaNIti prA~nchaH. Curious what specific creature this is referring to? What is the relationship between this being and pitru karmas and yAjnikas? Was this some kind of an animal sacrificed in one of those yajnas?

Per this sutra, do they have to be proper nouns or can they be common nouns, but distinguishing from other species? Is charma-nAsika a whip? I am not clear why the rule does not apply to this if it is referring to any common noun. 

Kind regards,
Raghav

K S Kannan

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Oct 28, 2023, 1:20:22 PM10/28/23
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To touch on but one among the several issues raised.

Here are some references for the flesh of the creature
vārdhrāṇasa/vārdhrīṇasa
=a bird/rhinoceros/wild goat/even mahokṣa, massive bull (too?)
as commended for the śrāddha :

Manusmr̥ti 3.272
Bhāsa's Pratimā play (4 lines preceding 5.9)
Kālikāpurāṇa
Śrāddha-kalpa of Mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇa etc.

Nearly half a dozen more references are available.

[To hazard a wild guess - 
in order to reconcile the utterly distant senses of the rhino and the bird:
the lipi-sāmya in Devanāgarī script between the two words
khaḍga (meaning a rhino) and 
*khaṅga (construable as a bird) 
  - (the latter on the analogy of (bhujaṅga/turaṅga, and) vihaṅga ; kha=sky)
 might have led at some stage to a possible confusion.

What can go however against the conjecture may also be stated:
- *khaṅga seems to be unattested;
- the sense of the bird goes back to at least Bhāsa, a rather ancient writer.

There may be less insignificant analyses.]


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Dr. K.S.Kannan  D.Litt.

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Chair Professor (Retd.), IIT-Madras.

Member, Advisory Board, "Prof. A K Singh AURO Chair of Indic Studies", AURO University, Surat.
Member, Expert Committee for Review of Criticism of Indian Knowledge Traditions, Central Sanskrit University (under MoE, GoI), Ganganath Jha Campus, Prayagraj.
Adjunct Faculty, Dept of Heritage Science and Technology, IIT Hyderabad.
Nominated Member, Academic Committee, Kavi Kula Guru Kalidasa University, Ramtek.
Member, Academic Council, Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthana.
Academic Director, Swadeshi Indology.
Nominated Member, IIAS, Shimla.

Former Professor, CAHC, Jain University, Bangalore.

Former Director, Karnataka Samskrit University, Bangalore.

Former Head, Dept. of Sanskrit, The National Colleges, Bangalore.

https://sites.google.com/view/kskannan

BVK Sastry (G-S-Pop)

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Oct 29, 2023, 1:54:22 AM10/29/23
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Namaste Raghav

 

1.  You have raised more serious questions that need deeper addressing:

 

    To Understand the difference between  ‘(Muni) Panini’- Bhashaa- Sutra’ and (Historic) Panini: Humanly Coded early

    language grammar rules. We proudly claim that entire discipline is carrying and Protected by seamlessly synthetic –

    integrity. Fact-Checks do not bear it out.

 

     The explanation provided by my good friend Dr. Kannan answers your post partially.

 

2.   Understanding Technicality of ‘Samskruth- Padam’ needs ‘Nirukti – Vyakhyana’  beyond ‘ Kosha’ and ‘(Pra-)Siddha /

     (Poorva)- Prayoga’.  This is called ‘Context sensitive Human Understanding of the Text of Tradition and connected

      practice.  Filtering logic to take out the ‘ apa-prayoga’ is a part of this exercise.

 

3.   Panini focus as per teaching, is on ‘Pada-Aaakruti’- Nirmiti (= Roopa-Siddhi). 

       The  Samjnaa - Artha- Meaning Context’ needs to come from other disciplines.

       The ‘Context’ opens up flood gates for interpretation and opinions.

        ‘Shista- Saadhu -Sampradaya’ seems to be only anchor for sanity.  

 

4. In current period, we seem to be ‘scholarly-debating’ comparative understanding with several overlapping shades of constructs ( unspecified), with an intention to ‘replicate – restore- re-enact’ a classical faith belief standard model of ‘Yajna as done by Yajnika’s of Past’  with an expectation of some outcome.

 

     This debate model is as old as Yaska’s Nirukta:  Asking the question to clarify : What is  the right rules to get at the 

     meaning,  method of deploying Veda mantra for getting intended benefits ?

 

5. Here are some important questions which need to  be addressed to answer your post-points ?

 

a) What  is ‘(Muni) Panini’- Bhashaa- Sutra’s and illustrations pointing to : Plain Text Anchor

b) What – Why – How  pedagogic ‘Sampradaya’  explains  in commentary the ‘‘(Muni) Panini’ Acharya Pravrutti’:  History-

     Commentary   

c) The Differences in Teaching – pedantry used to explain ‘(Muni) Panini’-  Sampradaya under ‘Commentators Schools’ : Commentators Views (Shaabdika Mata, Meemaamsaka mata, aalankaarika mata, Vednata mata) Anchor

d) The scaled down – disintegrated study of (a-b-c) masquerading as ‘(Muni-Traya) Sampradaya: Teacher- School – Anchor.

e) Application – Practice – Connected Disciplines disconnect with (a-b-c) for historic reasons: Practitioner of Teaching

     isolated from pedantry of language, like a mechanic of vehicle is not a designer at drawing board.

f) The Academic Colonial / Non Native Mounts of Scholarly studies ( including Language Sciences, Brain Mind Neuro

    sciences, Computational disciplines )  in ‘Sanskrit - Language Modelling : Issues of study –flavouring- favouring   

 

6.  Keeping these ‘ constraints of response’ my view on the points raised by you are placed belwo  

 

6.1.  On : < For the sutra pUrva padAt samjnyAyAm agah - as examples of substitutions,.. vAdhrInasah: kR^iShNagrIvo raktashirAH shvetapakSho vihagamaH. sa vai vAdhrINasaH prokto yAj~nikaiH pitR^ikarmaNIti prA~nchaH. Curious what specific creature this is referring to?  >

 

BVK Sastry :  Honest answer : We don’t know. The naming could be explored under ‘Ayurveda’ where Body related issues are needed to be named technically. Would ‘Tantra- yukti’ in Ayurveda help ?  

 

Key is in resolving ‘Panini Language Modelling.

 

‘(Muni) Panini’- Vak-Yoga- (Samskrutham) Sutra’; ‘(Muni-Traya) Bhashaa Chandas  Sampradaya:  (Historic) Panini: Sanskrit.

 

6.2.  On : < ..  What is the relationship between this being and pitru karmas and yAjnikas? Was this some kind of an animal sacrificed in one of those yajnas?  >  

 

BVK Sastry :  Honest answer : We don’t have clarity beyond conjecture. At least the known streams of ‘ Shista – Yajna – Sampradaya’ of Yajnikas do not indicate ‘ animal beings of such distorted features’ and ‘ sacred yajna / Pitur Karma’. 

 

6.3.  On : < ..  Curious what specific creature this is referring to? .. Was this some kind of an animal sacrificed in one of those yajnas?  >

 

BVK Sastry : Honest answer : Needs more research. Wrong conjectures are more harmful than lack of understanding.

                 Following need to  be avoided :

                  Conjectures on inappropriate construction of Vedic Yajna drawing models from ‘ (Western / Greek) Mythology- 

                  Inappropriate understanding of the Symbolism and mystica of Shaman and Druid practices, 

                  Inappropriate tagging of Tantra (badly projected under 5 M- view) to understand the ‘Veda- Artha- Yajna Karma’.

                  Interpreting ‘ Purana’s Encrypted Code of Yajna- Karma’ as  Physical Gross activity using ‘ Plain language Model of

                 reading ‘ Code of an Executable  program’ ( a common social error in ‘ Observed compliance to Religiosity !).  

 

                 Bringing in ‘Manu’ (Dharma shastra) view  on Yajnika Sampradaya ( Shruata- Gruhya Sutras ) of different periods

                 and ‘Language contextualises’  is violating the ‘norm of consistency of time lines in research – construction’.

 

Regards

BVK Sastry

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