Essay name: Nighantu (critical study)
Author:
Gopalakrishna N. Bhat
Affiliation: Karnatak University / Department of Sanskrit
This is an English study of the Nighantu and its commentary called the Nirukta by Yaska. The Nighantu is an ancient Sanskrit lexicon dealing with the words of the Vedic language. This essay presents a detailed analysis of the extant five chapters of this text and examines it's authorship, tracing meanings of words through Vedic texts by providing a comparative study involving Sayana's interpretations and connections with other texts like Amarakosa.
Chapter 3 - First Adhyaya (chapter) of the Nighantu (study)
32 (of 242)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
" In three places (viz. RV.1,40.6; X.139.1 and IX.88.3), pusa is aditya. Yaska in his Nirukta etymolizes the word. In uttarapada where it appears in five places it is interpreted as pūsan devah. 69 -
20. Gātuh: This word also occurs in the IV chapter
Other forms of the word are:
of the Nighantu (4.1.55).
gatum, gatubhih. (Gatave is dative infinitive).
The word with its above mentioned forms occurs in the
RV. in forty eight places. Of these, the meaning earth is
70 given in four places. In eight places Sayaṇa explains it
71 as stotra. In two places (RV.V.30.7 and VI.22.5) the
meaning is sukham.
In twenty eight places the word is explained either as
gamanaseela or marga. In two places sāyaṇa explains with
72 two meanings." In ten places it is used as infinitive
69. निरुक्तम� [niruktam ] 12.16. यद्रश्मिपोषं पुष्यत� तत� पूषा भवति �
[yadraśmipoṣa� puṣyati tat pūṣ� bhavati |
] 70,ƑV.32.10, I.151.6; III.31.15; VIII.45.30.
71. V.32.10; III.1.2; 31.15; IV.4.6; V.4.6; V.87.8;
VI.6.1; I. 100.4.
72. 1. 151.6. गातुम् गमतं देवयजनदेशं वा � गातुरिति पृथ्विी
ना� गातु� पूषैत्युक्तत्वात� � [gātum gamata� devayajanadeśa� vā | gāturiti pṛthviी
nāma gātu� pūṣaityuktatvāt | ] 3.31.15. गातुम् गायन्त� स्तुवन्त�
अस्यां इन्द्रादिदेवान� इत� गातु� पृथिवी � ना� |
[gātum gāyanti stuvanti
asyā� indrādidevān iti gātu� pṛthivī | nāma |
] 56
