Sahrdayaloka Part 02

Author(s): Tapasvi Nandi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 35

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SAHRDAYĀLOKA The Sanskrit grammarians hold that the sabda is not the sound-units that we hear, but it is manifested in the mind after the whole word is pronounced. It may be noted that according to sanskrit grammarians, sabda is of four phases viz. parā, paśyantī, madhyamā and vaikharī. Śabda Brahman, when manifested at the mūlā”dhāra or the sacral plexus, it is called parā vāk; when manifested at the naval, it is paśyanti, at the heart, madhyamā and Vaikhari is that phase which is manifested out of the vocal organs as the articulated sound. (M.bh. I. i. 1 & V.P. 144; etc.) In the IXth āhnika, Patañjali discusses the tapara-sūtra (pā. I. i. 70) There are
be examined : (i) Is 'tat-kālasya' a correct expression or not? and (ii) Is this sūtra an apūrva-vidhi or a niyama-vidhi ? While discussing the latter point the auother talks about sphoța and dhvani. At the end of some technical discussion, it is stated :
"evam tarhi sphoțaḥ śabdaḥ, dhvaniḥ śabda-gunaḥ.” If so, sphoța is the word and dhvani i.e. sound is its quality.
katham ? how ? bhery äghātavat. Like the beater of a drum. - tad yathā bhery āghāto bherīm āhatya kaścid vimšati padāni gacchati, kaścid trimśat, kaścit caturviņśat.
This may be illustrated as follows - One beater of drum goes twenty steps at the time when the sound by beating the drum lasts, another thirty steps, and still other forty steps. Beating is the same. The increase is due to the sound production by beating - It is observed -
“dhvanih sphoțaś ca śabdānām dhvanis tu khalu laksayet, alpo mahīyāmś ca, keşāņcit
ubhayam tat-svabhāvataḥ.” With reference to śabdas there are dhvani and sphoța. Of them dhvani alone is cognisable to the sense of hearing. It is short, it is long, and it is by nature both (long and short), at the hands of some.
Thus in Patañjali dhvani' is sound only, the word that is pronounced. Sphoța is revealed through this dhvani or sound, and it is sabda in the real sense of the term, which is united with meaning.