Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study)
by A. Yamuna Devi | 2012 | 77,297 words | ISBN-13: 9788193658048
This page relates 鈥業ntroduction (Kshirasvamin: Personal details)鈥� of the study on the Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (in English) which represents a commentary on the Amarakosha of Amarasimha. These ancient texts belong the Kosha or 鈥渓exicography鈥� category of Sanskrit literature which deals with the analysis and meaning of technical words from a variety of subjects, such as cosmology, anatomy, medicine, hygiene. The Amarakosa itself is one of the earliest of such text, dating from the 6th century A.D., while the Amarakoshodghatana is the earliest known commentary on that work.
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Introduction (碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍: Personal details)
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 and his commentary 础尘补谤补办辞艣辞诲驳丑腻峁璦苍补 on 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 have both been often referred to and cited by many commentators on 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 and also by other writers of different genres of literature. However, only little information is available about his date, native place and his life. Scholars all over the world have made efforts to fix his date and native place from his own writings and from external sources. This has resulted in varied opinions differing vastly from one another.
Only 碍峁Ｄ玶补迟补谤补峁単颈峁嚹�, a commentary by 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 on the 顿丑腻迟耻办辞艣补 ascribed to 笔腻峁噄苍颈, provides the information about him, i.e., his father's name was 莫艣varasv膩min.
This is found in the colophon of the 碍峁Ｄ玶补迟补谤补峁単颈峁嚹� which reads鈥�
bha峁弓e艣varasv膩miputrak峁Ｄ玶asv膩myutprek峁t膩y膩峁� k峁Ｄ玶atara峁単i峁噛膩峁�... |
In no other place in any of his available works can one find information on 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍's life.
Three details about him can be inferred from his own works鈥�
(i) 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍, in the opinion of Prof. Mm. 驰耻诲丑颈峁ａ弓丑颈谤补 惭墨尘腻峁僺补办[1], seems to belong to the family of reciters of 碍补峁环补艣腻办丑腻 (Yajurveda). He bases his inference on the example cited by 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 in the context of commenting on the ' Yaj 诲丑腻迟耻' in 碍峁Ｄ玶补迟补谤补峁単颈峁嚹� (I. 729). Prof. 惭墨尘腻峁僺补办 feels that the particular mention of 碍补峁环补艣腻办丑腻 of the Yajurveda (which consists of more than hundred branches) suggests that 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 belonged to that particular sect of Brahmins.
(ii) 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 seems to have been a devotee of 艢颈惫补. This can be understood from the introductory verse[2] of 础尘补谤补办辞艣辞诲驳丑腻峁璦苍补 and in many places of the commentary.
(iii) 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 seems to consider himself as a great scholar. In the introductory verse of 础尘补谤补办辞艣辞诲驳丑腻峁璦苍补 (4, 8) 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 says that he has taken up a challenging task of commenting upon the words which has been tried by many who have failed in their efforts. He further remarks that the words born of 痴颈艣惫补蝉峁沯补 were refined by sages; but these got corrupted due to the association of the uncultured; at this juncture 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 declares that V膩gdev墨 took refuge in him and accordingly he had written six 惫峁泃迟颈蝉:
bhagn膩 膩bhidh膩nak峁泃o vivar墨t膩ra艣ca yatra 惫颈产丑谤腻苍迟腻岣� |
n膩m膩ni t膩ni bha峁卥tu峁� gahanamaho 膩dhyavasit膩岣� sma岣� ||
箩腻迟腻 惫颈艣惫补蝉峁沯补岣� krame峁嘺 munibhi岣� sa峁僺k膩ram膩p膩dit膩岣� 艣abd膩岣� sa峁僾asan膩das膩dhubhirapabhra峁ａ弓膩岣� stha bho bhr膩tara岣� |
惫腻驳诲别惫测腻诲测补 办峁泃腻 尘补诲别办补艣补谤补峁嚹� 尘腻迟谤腻 yato 'sm膩nmay膩 ny膩yye vartmani vartan膩ya bhavat膩峁� 峁岣� v峁泃taya岣� 办补濒辫颈迟腻岣� ||
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Vy膩kara峁嘺艣膩stra k膩 itih膩s, Vol. II, pp. 92-101
[2]:
di艣y膩cchiv膩ni 艣ivayostilak膩yam膩na峁� gorocan膩rucilal膩峁璦vilocana峁� na岣� |
膩nyonyag膩岣峢aparirambhinip墨岣峚nena pi峁囜笉墨bhavan bahiriva sphu峁璱tonur膩ga岣� ||