________________
(V) Mahābhărata
MAHĀBHĀRATA STUDIES 1
BY
M. A. MEHENDALE
(1) akumāram While writing on ākumāram yaśaḥ pāņineh in the ABORI 58-59, pp. 727 ff. (1978), Acharya Shri V. P. Limaye rightly draws attention to the fact that ākumāram in the above expression cannot mean upto children' but that kumāra must refer to some place-name ('upto Kumāra country'). Shri Limaye therefore suggests to emend the text of the Mahābhāşya and read ākumäri in place of ākumāram so that the expression could convey that Pāṇini's fame had spread as far as the southern-most tip of India, presectly known as Kanyākumārl. Shri Limaye himself, however, makes it clear that no variant has been recorded in the Mahābhāşya editions for ākumāram.
Now it is perhaps possible to say that the use of the expression akumāram itself was the usual way, at least in the epic times, for conveying the sense of long distances. This becomes clear from the following few passages in the Mahabharata :
(1) Duryodhana, on his return from the Răjasūya sacrifice, became very dejected for various reasons. Some of these are listed in the following stanza :
पार्थान् सुमनसो दृष्ट्वा पार्थिवांश्च वशानुगान् ।
et ara fes start **ET I 2. 43. 14. Duryodhana began to become pale because, firstly, he saw the Pāņdavas well-pleased, secondly, the kings, assembled there, were obedient to the Pandavas, and, thirdly, the whole world was well-disposed towards them. In order to convey the very wide extent of the world (lokam), which in the present context would mean the Bhāratavarşa, the author has used the express sion ākumāram which must mean as far as the Kumāra (country)'. It
1 Incidentally it may be noted that in the traditional explanation of this expression
the meaning of kumara child' (bala ) is expressly stated very late in the commen. tary Ratnaprakasa (yad bālān api sambadhnati) on p. 349 of the Mahābhāsya. Pradipa-Vyakhyanāni, part IV, ed. by M. S. Narasimhacharya, Pondichery, 1977. (I am thankful to Dr. G. B. Palsule for this information. ) It cannot be stated definitely that this meapipg was intended by Patañjali. Even in the wording of Pradipa (kumārün api yasah praptam ) or of Udd yota ( kumūrarupa maryada ), the word kumāra could refer to some place-Dame.
Madhu Vidyā/408
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
