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 2 - Authorship of the Nighantu
6 (of 18)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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Durga observes, "if the author of the Nighantu is Yāska
himself, why should he change the sequence of these two
words enlisted in the Nighantu, while commenting on it
without any reason what-so-ever?" 10
1 1
And while explaining the two words Vajapastya� and
Vajagandhya� which are enlisted in the Nighantu (4.2.49,50).
Yaska in his Nirukta 5.15, followed the sequence of the
Nighantu, not the sequence of the mantra of the Rgveda,
where the two words are used as Vajagandhya� and Vajapastya�:
(RV IX.98.12). Durga too, observes this change of sequence
It is interesting to note that the author
of the words.
11 13
-
10. एतस्मिन् मन्त्र� अकूपारस्� दावन� इत्ययम� अनयो� पदयोर् अनुक्रमः �
समाम्नाय� पुनः [etasmin mantre akūpārasya dāvane ityayam anayo� padayor anukrama� |
samāmnāye puna� ] "दावन� अकूपारस्� [dāvane akūpārasya ] " इत� मन्त्रपाठव्यतिक्रमेण अनुक्रमः �
ते� ज्ञायत� अन्यैर एवाय� ऋषिभिः समाम्नाय� समाम्नात� अन्य एव चायम�
भाष्यकार इत� � एकी हि समाम्नाय� भाष्यम� � कुर्वन� प्रयोजनस्य अभावात� �
एकमन्त्रगतयो� पाठानुक्रमम् नामइक्ष्यत� � अविवधितार्थाश्� एत� मन्त्र� निगमाः �
तेषु संपत्त्य� काकतालीयन्यायेन कस्मिंश्चिद् एकस्मिन् एव निगम� द्वैपद� आगच्छत�,
ते यथोपगत� एव भाष्यकारी व्याचष्ट� -इत्यदोषः �
- दुर्गाचार्� भाष्�, पृ. [iti mantrapāṭhavyatikrameṇa anukrama� |
tena jñāyate anyaira evāya� ṛṣibhi� samāmnāya� samāmnāta� anya eva cāyam
bhāṣyakāra iti | ekī hi samāmnāya� bhāṣyam ca kurvan prayojanasya abhāvāt |
ekamantragatayo� pāṭhānukramam nāmaikṣyat | avivadhitārthāśca ete mantre nigamā� |
teṣu saṃpattyā kākatālīyanyāyena kasmiṃścid ekasmin eva nigame dvaipade āgacchata�,
te yathopagate eva bhāṣyakārī vyācaṣṭe -ityadoṣa� |
- durgācārya bhāṣya, p�. ] 307, निरु. [niru. ] 4. 18.
11. "वाजगन्ध्यम� इत्येतदपिपदम� एकस्मिन्ने� निगम� निरुक्तम� �
केवल� समाम्नायानुक्र� विपर्यास� � वाजपस्त्यम�, वाजगन्ध्यम� इत्येष
समाम्नायानुक्रमः � निगम� पुनः [vājagandhyam ityetadapipadam ekasminneva nigame niruktam |
kevala� samāmnāyānukrama viparyāsa� | vājapastyam, vājagandhyam ityeṣa
samāmnāyānukrama� | nigame puna� ] "अश्याम वाजगन्ध्यम� सनेम� वाजपस्त्यम� [aśyāma vājagandhyam sanema� vājapastyam] �
इत� � [iti | ] � Op.cit. p. 531.
