Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study)
by A. Yamuna Devi | 2012 | 77,297 words | ISBN-13: 9788193658048
This page relates ‘Family system� 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 “lexicography� 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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Family system
Information regarding the family system during the time of ṣīr峾 is culled from the words explained by him. Family was a small unit of the society. From the list of relationships explained by ṣīr峾, it is understood that joint family was the order of the day.
ś in the Nṛvarga after dealing with synonyms of man and woman goes on to enunciate the words related to family and members of the family (II. 6.27-38; pp. 139-42) such as ٳᲹ–sDz, ܳ–dܲٱ, apatya–oڴڲԲ, ٲ–fٳ, ᲹԲ⾱ٰī–mdzٳ, ī–sٱ, ԲԻ–husband's sister, Բٰī–son's daughter, –husband's brother's wife, 屹ī–brother's wife, ٳܱī–maternal uncle's wife, śśܰ�–fatherin- law, śśū�–mdzٳ--, 辱ṛvⲹ�–paternal uncle, ٳܱ�–maternal uncle, ś�–wife's brother, / devara–husband's brother, īⲹ�–sister's son, 峾–sDz--, 辱峾�–father's father, pra辱峾�–paternal great grandfather, 峾�–mother's father, 辱ṇḍ–KԲ, Դǻ岹ⲹ–brother of whole blood, sagotra–a distant kinsman, b andhu�relative, dhava–husband. ṣīr峾's comments on some of these terms are interesting to note and are presented below:
(a) 辱ṇḍ and sagotras[1] (II. 6. 33; p. 140)�
[Descendants of same lineage:]
ṣīr峾 records from the Kullūka’s commentary of Manu (3.5) that the kinsmen of seven generations were 辱ṇḍs. He supplements that those beyond the seven generations were sagotras.
Thus the lineage or a gotra[2] was reckoned from the seventh generation�
Բ� 辱ṇḍ� ṣāṃ, yatsmṛti� -辱ṇḍtā tu puruṣe saptame vinivartate | saptamādūrdhva� sagotrā� ||
(b) īⲹ[3] (II. 7. 2; pp. 162-63)�
[Celestial descendant:]
ṣīr峾 cites 峾 born in the solar dynasty as illustration for the word īⲹ�bīje sādhurbhavo vā yathā sūryabījyo 峾� |
(c) ܱīԲ�[4] (II. 7. 3; p. 163)�
[Honourable parentage:]
ܱīԲ� was one belonging to an honourable parentage. ṣīr峾 supplements by adding two more words in the same sense viz., 峾ṣyⲹṇa� and 峾ṣyٰܳ�–The son of such an honourable couple: āmuṣyāyaṇo'muṣyaputraśca |
The previous term denotes the royal origin while the present refers to the cultured parents.
(d) Marriage (III. 1. 14; p. 238):
The ٳśٰ texts mention eight forms of marriage viz., , daiva, ṣa, 貹ٲⲹ, ܰ, gandharva, ṣa and 貹ś峦.
caturṇāmapi varṇānā� pretya ceha hitāhitān |
ṣṭ屹ṃsԲ strīvivāhānnibodhata ||
brāhmo daivastathaivṣa� 貹ٲⲹstathܰ� |
gāndharvo ṣaścaiva 貹ś峦ścāṣṭamo'� ||
ś does not mention any of these marriages; however, marriage seems to be indicated as explained by ṣīr峾 while discussing the word ūܻ岹� occuring in the third ṇḍ, Viśeṣyanighna varga.
ś mentions that a man who voluntarily invites and gives in marriage his daughter who is well attired, to a learned and deserving, is called ūܻ岹�:
ٰṛtⲹṃkṛt� 첹Բ� yo dadāti sa ūܻ岹� |
Deriving the form ūܻ岹�, ṣīr峾 explains that a father offering his daughter in form of marriage is called ūܻ岹� and explains this form of marriage in the words of Manu (III. 27):
kokate ādhatte � ūܻ岹� ku� ś岹 ityasya vā rūpamakūtavat | brāhme | yanmanu�-峦ⲹ cārhayitvā ca śrutaśīlavate svayam | āhūya Բ� kanyāyā� brāhmo � īپٲ� ||
From this it could be understood that the form of marriage in which a well attired bride decorated with ornaments is given in marriage to an erudite, bridegroom of good character, especially invited by the bride’s father himself to marry her, is called marriage by Manu.
(e) ٲ貹ī (II. 6. 38; p. 142)�
[Couple:]
A wedded couple is denoted by the word 岹貹ī, Ჹ貹ī, 貹ī and 貹پ. ṣīr峾 explains grammatically the formation of the word with Paninian ūٰ.
He also observes that the ṇṭ[5] gives �dam� to mean or a wife:
rājadantādau jāyapatyorjāyaṃś岹sya daṃbhāvo jaṃbhāvo vā nipātyate da� bhāryeti Ծṇṭ� |
Other words to denote the pairs mentioned by ś are ٲ–brother and sister, pitarau–father and mother, śśܰ–parents in law and putrau–son and daughter which are complimented by ṣīr峾 mentioning the Paninian rule (I. 2. 68)�bhrātṛputrau svasṛduhitṛbhyām forming 첹śṣa compound.
(f) ٲ (II. 6. 28; p. 140)�
[Father:]
ś mentions ٲ, janaka and 辱 as synonyms to which ṣīr峾 adds .
(g) ṛj (II. 6. 30; p. 140)�
[Brother's wife:]
ṣīr峾 illustrates the term citing from the ѱūٲ (10) of �
drakṣyasi bhrātṛjāyām |
(h) Devara (II. 6. 32; p. 140)�
[Husband's brother:]
ś mentions � and devara to denote husband's brother.
ṣīr峾 specifies that it denotes the younger brother of the husband or husband's brother younger to the wife in age�
(i) Դǻ岹ⲹ (II. 6. 34; p. 141)�
[The brother of the whole blood:]
ś mentions sodarya, sagarbhya and sahaja.
ṣīr峾 derives it as those who were born of the same womb�
Բ udare śayita� |
This term is different from who is a half brother or a cousin. Hence it can be observed in the 峾ⲹṇa (VI. 5. 15), in the wailings of 峾 where he remarks that it is rare in this world to find a half-brother who is like a uterine brother�ta� tu ś� na paśyāmi yatra ǻ岹� |
(j) ʳٰܳ� (II. 6. 27; p. 139)�
[Son:]
A son is called putra as he is said to save the ancestors from the hell called �put’�
punnarakāttrāyate puttra� punāti vā purvohrasvaśca (ṇād. 604) iti ktra� |
(k) Aprajam (III. 3. 32; p. 277)[7] �
[Childless:]
The citation of ṇaⲹ Nīti Śataka (57) by ṣīr峾 that the childless couple were pitied upon suggests that great importance was attached to a son or a child in the family�
saṃtatau yathā śocya� mithunamaprajam ||
(l) Suto matṛśvasu� (II. 6. 25; p. 139)�
[Mother's sister's son:]
ś suggests that the son of mother’s sisters are similar to the forms 貹ṛṣⲹ� and 貹ṛṣīⲹ� which denote the sons of father’s brothers.
ṣīr峾 furnishes two words ṛśvīⲹ� and ṛśvⲹ� to denote maternal aunt’s son.
The Paninian ūٰs relating to both the words are also provided by him:
ṛśvś� (Pā. IV. 1. 134) iti chaṇi mātṛśvastriya� | ḍhaki DZ貹� (Pā. IV. 1. 133) iti ḍhaki ṛśvⲹ� ||
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
sapiṇḍāstu sanābhaya� |
[2]:
[3]:
īⲹm tu kulasambhava� |
[5]:
Source not available
[6]:
[7]: