Bhadram te and Bhadant

Author(s): H C Bhayani
Publisher: ZZ_Anusandhan
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/269114/1

Page #1

bhadram te and bhadanta
(1)
In Valmikis Ramāyaṇa the expression bhadram te occurs as a formula of blessing, of śverting evil or of formal greeting inserted in the midst of a sentence in the speech of a character, breaking the syntactical order-without any connection with the preceding or succceding portion of the sentence-i.c. as an asyndoton.
The following few occurrences from the first and the second Kända would illustrate this peculiar usage:
ताटका नाम भद्रं ते भार्या सुन्द्रस्य धीमतः | (1 23 25a) एवं भवतु भद्रं ते इक्ष्वाकु कुल-वर्धन । (141 21)
H. C. Bhayani
इमौ कुमारौ भद्रं ते देव-तुल्य - पराक्रमौ । कथं पद्भ्यामिह प्राप्तौ किमर्थं कस्य वा मुने ।। (1 47 2) इमौ कुमारौ भद्रं ते देव-तुल्य - पराक्रमी । गज-सिंह-गती वीरौ शार्दूल-वृषभोपमौ ।। (I 49 17)
सौपाध्यायो महाराज पुरोहित - पुरस्कृतः । शीघ्रमागच्छ भद्रं ते दृष्टुमर्हसि राघवौ || (167 11)
लक्ष्मणागच्छ भद्रं ते ऊर्मिलामुद्यतां मया ।
प्रतीच्छ पाणिं गृह्णीष्व मा भूत् कालस्य पर्ययः ॥ ( 1 71 18)
सत्वा पश्यतु भद्रं ते रामः सत्यपराक्रमः । सर्वान् सुहृद आपृछ्य त्वामिदानीं दिदृक्षते (11 31 4)
शत्रुघ्नोतिष्ठ किं शेषे निषादाधिपतिं गृहम् ।
शीघ्रमानय भद्रं ते तारयिष्यति वाहिनीम् ॥ ( 1183 2)
It is to be noted that the formula is used in a fixed metrical
position as the last two words in the first or the third of the Anustubh.

Page #2
105 (2) bhadanta is quite well-known in Pali as a terni of respectable address or adjective with respect to Buddhist mendicant, monk etc. Its contracted form bhamte (for bhadamte) is fregnerily used similarly in the Jain Agamas. (Pischcl $S 165, 349, 366 0, 417, 463, 465). The root bhand is given in the Dhatupatha (2, 11) with the meanings kalyana, sukha-. bhadanta- derived from it is noted in the Unadi-sotra-vrtti (3, 130) according to Monier Williams dictionary. Semantically, bhadanta can be possibly explained as meaning kalyanakaraka. But its very frequent use in spccches as a respectful term of address leads nie to suspect that it may have been also influenced by the MIA. form of the traditional blessing formula bhadram tc > bhaddani te > bhadante). The addresser thereby expresses his or her reverence and good wishes "Bless you !' 'Let no evil visit you'. This is comparable to the utterances jaya, jiva, nanda, vardhasva shouted as blessing for a great person on a festive occasion. A parallcd case is that of Sk. jiva 'long live, Ap. jiu, jiul, occuring in various NIA. languages as jiu ! jyu, ji etc. as a particle of assent or respect and also as an honorific particle added to names (Turner, 5240). From the respectful terny of address bladarte was created the address bhadanta which later became specialized as applying to the Buddhest monks and mendicants.