Yaska And Sentence Beginning Ofsabdabodha

Author(s): Johannes Bronkhorst
Publisher: Johannes Bronkhorst

Page 6

Johannes Bronkhorst
55
Subhaşini
Consider first acaste. This verb occurs in the following contexts, and as far as I know nowhere else in the Nirukta:
that is embodied and has become a sattva, with the
help of nouns (sattvanaman) --e.g. vrajya, paktih.. The interpretation of Skandasvåmin/Maheśvara, Durga, Nilakantha and Roth presupposes a different reading :
tad yatrobhe (nāmākhyāte tatra ete) bhävapradhane bhavatah/ pārvāparibhūtam bhāvam ākhyātenacaste vrajati pacatity upakramaprabhrtyapavargaparyantam/ murtam sativabhūtam sattvanāmabhih lacaste)--vrajya . pakrir iti
Where both (noun and verb occur together, there they) have bhāva as principal (meaning). [One) expresses with the help of a verb a bhāva that develops from earlier to later and extends) from the beginning to the end; e.g. vrajati, pacati. (One expresses) something embodied that has become a sattva, with the help of nouns (sattvanaman) --
e.g. vrajya, paktihBoth these interpretations share a difficulty: what is the subject of acaste? I have supplied 'one' in the translation, but this is not really convincing since Yaska normally uses a verbal form in the plural in connection with a non-specified subject. Two examples occur in the very same section (Nir 1.1): tam imam samāmnayam nighantava ity acaksate and tatraitan nämäkhyātayor laksanam pradiśanti. Numerous others occur elsewhere in the Nirukta. Some examples from the first chapters are acaksiran (1.14); avagrhnanti (1.17): pradifanri, bhasante, abhibhāşante (2.2); etc.
A closer study of all the occurrences of acaste and acaksate in the Nirukta reveals that acaste always has a definite subject, whereas ācaksate frequently has a non-specified subject "they/one". A short survey of the relevant passages confirms this.
Nir 1.2: jāyata iti pūrvabhāvasyādim acaste na aparabhāvam
acaste na pratiședhat (i)....vinaśyatity aparabhavasyādim acaste na pūrvabhāvam acaste na pratiședhati "The word jāyate ('is born') expresses the beginning of the earlier state, [but) it neither expresses nor prohibits the later state;... the word vinaśyati (perishes') expresses the beginning of the late state, (but) it neither expresses nor prohibits the
earlier state." Nir 1.8: scảm tvah pòsam āste pupuşván gayatram ivo guyan
śákvarisu/ brahmá tvo vádati jätavidyām yajñásya mátrām ví mimita u tvah/ iti stvikkarmanām viniyogam ăcaşte "The verse rcám.. tvah expresses
the application of the ritual acts of the priests." Nir 3.12: vipakvaprajna åtmagatim ācaste "The soul is of
mature wisdom' describes the characteristics of the
soul" (tr. Sarup). Nir. 3.22: katará pūrva katarăparāyóh kathá játé kavayah ko
ví veda/víśvam tmánā bibhrto yád dha nāma ví vartete dhani cakriyeva ... iti dyāvāprthivyoh mahimänam ācaste "The verse katara.. cakriyeva
expresses the greatness of heaven and earth." Nir. 4.23: aditir dydur áditir antárikşam áditir mātá sá pitá
sá putrah/ vísve devā aditih pánca júna áditir jätám aditir janitvam/ ity aditer vibhutim acast[e] "The verse aditir... jánitvam expresses the great power of
Aditi." Nir 10.26, 12.37 and 12.38 discuss three further Vedic verses,
each of which "expounds the course of the life of the soul" (ätmagatim acaste; tr. Sarup)