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Nighantu (critical study)

by Gopalakrishna N. Bhat | 1985 | 71,168 words

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...

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The following eight words are synonyms of quarter (direction): 1) Atan, 21 Asan, 3) Uparan, 4) Asthah, 5) Kasthah, 6) Vyoma, 7) Kakubhah and 8) Haritah. 101 Yaska, in the Nirukta (2.15) derives the word disal from the root 'dis', to point out and he says: "They are so called from being within easy reach, or from pervading. The word disah is not included in the list of synonyms. Atah: The word occurs with its forms2 in five nj places. Sayana interpretes the words in the sense assigned. A few examples are given below.3 3 is used 2. asah: The word and its form asabhyah ( II. 14. 12 ), In eight places in the sense assigned (asah 1.39.3; 162.7; 1. nirukta 2.15. disah kasmat | diteh | asadanat | apivabhyasanat | 2. atayah, amtaih, atasu 3. 3.43.6. atah | abhimukhyena gamyante pranibhih tatkaryam prati ityatah disah | 9.5.5. ataih atabhyo digbhyah | ata bhasa iti dii namasu pathat | 1.113.14. atasu | dii namaitat | vistirnasu diksu | :

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1 5 IV.37.7; V.10.6; x.17.5; 72.3; 4). It may be added that verbs, asate-iti; asate-iti and asathe-iti come in eleven places, and Sayana interpretes them as vyapnutah, asnuvate and vyapnuthah according to the context. 4 (N 1.4.3. The word asabhyah is listed in the fourth chapter of the Nighantu (N 1. 4.3.2). Yaska explains the word asah in Nirukta 6.2, while interpreting the Rk. II.41.12 where the word asabhyah occurs. He says: asah means quarters. It 1 s so called from being situated (a Jsad). Asah means intermediate quarters also, as they are pervading (Jas 9.5 102 6 3. Uparah: The word with its forms occurs in twentyeight places. Sayana nowhere explains the word in the sense assigned clearly. The word is interpreted by Sayana in eight places in the sense of a cloud, belongs to the list of synonyms of cloud (RV. Uparah X.27.23; upara 1.54.7; 167.3; uparah X.27.20; upara-tati I.157.5; uparasya 1.79.3, 4. asata iti 5.66.2. vyapnutah | asate iti 1.136.3. anuvale prapnutah | 'asaye 1-151-8. anuvaye vyapnuthah dadathe ityarthah 5. niru . 6.1. asa diso bhavanti | asadanat | asa upadiso bhavanti | abhyasanat | 6. upera, uparah, uperasya, uparanu, uperaya, uperasah, uperasu upare, uparesu, uparam, upera tati | hu

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104.4; and V.44.2). In other places Sayana interpretes according to the contexts differently." The word uparah is listed also in the 10 th section of this chapter under meghanamani (Ni.1. 10.8). The word 'upalah' also is listed in the same section immediately after the word, upara (N 1.1.10.19). 103 7 1 Yaska explains the words upara and upala while dealing with meghanamani (Niru. 2.21). He says: "The two words upara and upala which mean a cloud are also common with 8 the synonyms of a mountain. Clouds cease to move in it, or the waters are made inactive in it. Sayana follows Yaska mainly while interpreting these two words where they occur. .7. uparah 1.62.6. HAT: FUTTAT: 5.29.5. 34 MT: mandagatih | 7.87.5. apta antarbhutah | upara tati 7.48.3. uparaih upalaih pasana- sadrsaih ayudhaih tayate vistaryata ityuparatati yuddham | || 2. 2. 9. uparan uparamanasadhananu, upari utkrste vartamananva dhanavisesan 7.87.4. uparaya | upasamipe ramamanayantevasine | 1. 128.3. uparesu uparamante esvagnayah | ityupara dhisnya yajamanagrha va | aghanananyuttarani trimsat | a upara upala ityetabhyam sadharanani parvatanamabhih | upara upalo megho bhavati uparamante sminnabhani | uparata apa iti va | '

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L } 4. Asthan: Its form asthyam occurs in one place. Sayana explains it as given below. 9 10 5. Kasthah: The word with its forms occurs in eleven places. In three places Sayana interpretes it in the sense of a quarter (1.63.5; 146.3; IV.58.7). In three places he explains it as water and quotes Nirukta (2.15). (RV. I.32.10; I.37.10; 59.6). In other places Sayana interpretes differently. 11 , 12 Yaska in his Nirukta (2.15), while explaining the synonyms of quarters, states: "The word kastha is a syncnym of many objects Kastha means quarters; they are situated having gone xacross. Kastha means intermediate quarters; they are situated having gone aacross. Destination alsc is called kastha; it is situated having gone across. as are also called kasthat they are situated having gone across, Waters 9. 10.165. asthayam vyaptayamaranyanyam | yadva | apanayasminni- tyastri pacanala | tasyam | 10. STOOT, STETATE, atsotu, arbatur:, kastha, kasthamnam, kastham, kasthayah 11. 12. #tooty i kasthamsa | kastham 7.93.3. yathasvah sighram yuddhabhumim vyapnuvanti | 9.21.7. somah nivasasthanam | kasthayah 10.1029. ajyantasya madhye samgrama ityarthah | ajyanto'pi kasthocyate | 8 niru . 2.15-8 tatra kastha ityetadanekasyapi sattvasya nama bhavati | kastha diso bhavanti | krantva sthita bhavanti | kastha upadiso bhavanti | itaretaram krाntva sthita bhavanti | adityo'pi kasthocyate | krantva sthito bhavati | apo'pi kastha ucyante | krantva sthita bhavantiti sthavaranam | 104

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t i.e. stationary waters. 6. Vyoma: The word does not occur in the sense of a Details have been given in antariksanamani quarter. (Ni.1.3.3). 13 7. Kakubhah: Two forms of this word occur in six places. Sayana interpretes the word in five places in the sense of a quarter. In one place sayana explains the word as paksan, 14 105 + 15 In 8. Haritah: The word with its forms occurs at twenty six places. Only in two places the word is used in the sense of a quarter (RV. VIII, 101.4; IX.63.9). nineteen places sayana interpretes it as a horse. In five places Sayana gives the meaning as rays. The word is interpreted in four places with alternative meanings i.e. ray and horse. The word is interpreted in some other 16 13. kakubham kakubham 14. 4. 19.4. kakubhah parvatanam pasdhan | haritah, harita, haritauh | Efeat: 1 15. haritah, 16. 1-115. 3-5, hartarah | harito rasaharanasilah rasmayah | rasaharanasila svarasmin haridvarnan asvan va | rasaharanasilah � Truo: efeat: wat at 1 1.121.13. haridvarnan asvan yadva rasaharana silan rasmin |

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17 meanings also. The word is mainly used in the Rks which are attributed to the goddess Usas. 106 ,,,18 Yaska, in his Nirukta (4.11) interpretes, the word while explaining the Rk. I.115.4. He states: "when he whas yoked the bay steeds i.e. the rays of the sun, or the horses. The word harita is listed also in the following sections of the Nighantu. (i) Nadinamani: 1.13.12 (ii) Angulanamani: 2.5.12 (iii) Adistopayojanani: 1.15.3 (Harita adityasya) a It may be added that the other word haritah also occurs 19 with its forms in the RV. in thirteen places. interpretes it as 'haridvarna. Sayana Thus when the accent is U on the first letter ha, the word is an adjective meaning 'green'; and when the accent is on the second letter ri, it ∙is a noun meaning a quarter, horse or ray. 17. 18. 19. 1. 14. 12. haritah hartum ratharudhan purusan netum samarthah | 5.29.5. 95 qt: I 1. harana svabhava ad . gulayah 9.86.37. haritavarnah | 1 fa 6.4.11. uzatarge. & zeurarfaruriy | sfrat sarfafa, ke harananadityarasmin | harito svaniti, QT 1 vara, varasa, variga variya varasi haritah

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form: The above discussion may be summarised in a tabular Words No.of times used in the RV. Senge assigned 1 Atah 5 5 2 NAsah 8 8 3 Uparah 28 4 Asthah 2 5 Vyoma 25 6 Kasthah 11 7 Kakubhah 6 8 Haritah 26 2 IM IN 3 106 B.

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