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Observations on the use of Kr
SATYA VRAT VARMA
The phenomenon represented by a group of Sanskrit roots in denoting more than one meaning is brilliantly summed up by Patanjali in the pithy sentence 'bahvārtha api dhātavo bhavanti.' The dictum is however to be taken with a modicum of caution. The multiplicity of meanings of the roots in question is circumscribed by strict grammatical formulations. But for certain specific cases they are not known to convey a sense that is not assigned to them in the dhātupātha or that belongs to other roots. Kr, however, towers above them all and unfolds an array of meanings that rightfully belong to other specific roots. In view of the plethora of meanings that it is found to denote in the vast domain of literature, both sacred and profane, Kr may well be treated to form a class (gana) by itself. What has been said of the 'Word' Sarve Sarvārthavācakáh sabdah is more true of Kr. The rationale behind the quaint phenomenon is, however, not hard to define. The primary sense of Kr action is general (dukrñ karane), turns out to be a magic lamp to conjure up the gamut of meanings that it denotes with a vengeance. In the true spirit of the Samkhya theory of causatin (Satkāryavāda), the array of specific meanings in which Kr has been used by the successive generations of cultured writers are latent in its general sense, which unravel themselves in the given situation and context. The general after all invariably culminates in the specific (na nirvisesam sāmányam). Besides those noted elsewhere, the present note is intended to focus on a number of peculiar meanings of Kr which we have been able to identify in the course of our sustained investigations in the functioning of the root. It is interesting to find that the Vedic language has equal fascination for the root. The Rgveda itself serves to highlight the various nuances of its import that it unravelled in its semantic march.
While waxing eloquent on the sanctity of the Prāci Sarasvati Tīrtha, located at Prthūdaka, the Vāmanapurana (VP.) brings out its efficacy to purge evil of all hues in the verses that follows:
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