shlokArtha shAbdika vyAkhyAnam: Linguistic interpretation of shlokas
The purport of this thread is for us to arrive at a linguistic interpretation of some popular saMskRta shlokas, and learn the linguistic nuances of Sanskrit in the process. Following the Hindu sampradAyam--tradition, we start with a GaNesha shlokam:
[Since I am much less literate in Sanskrit than some members here, I would welcome their feedback at enhancements and corrections to my efforts here.]
shlokaH
शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् शशिवर्णं चतुर्भुजम् ।
प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्व विघ्नोपशान्तये ॥
shuklAmbaradharaM viShNum shashivarNaM chaturbhujam |
prasannavadanaM dhyAyet sarva vighnopashAntaye ||
shAbdika vyAkhyAnam
• shuklAmbaradharaM--shukla ambara dharaM
shukla + ambara becomes shuklAmbara in saMdhi.
The type of saMdhi involved here is svarNa-dhIrgha-saMdhi, which states:
If a simple vowel, short or long, be followed by a similar vowel, short or long, the substitute for them both is a similar long vowel. The vowels involved in this saMdhi are:
अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ऋ ॠ ऌ
a A i I u U Ru RU ~Lu
• dharaM is the second case (accusative) of the word dhara, which means 'having, holding, bearing'. [Note that the first (nominative) case of the word is dhara and not dharaH which has a different meaning--find out the meaning for yourself!]
• viShNum is the second case of viShNuH.
• varNaM is the second case of varNaH.
• shashivarNaM is obviously sashi + varNam, but then the word that denotes the white color of moon or camphor is sashin. Anyone who knows the type of saMdhi involved here might explain it..
• In chaturbhujam, no saMdhi is involved, since the word chatur is gramatically, संख्या विशेषणम्: नित्य बहु-वचनं--saMkhyA visheShaNam: nitya bahu-vachanaM--numerical adjective which is always plural.
• Notice that bhujam is the second case of bhujaH, but it is written as bhujam and not bhujaM (with an anusvAram). This is because the word occurs at the end of a line. The saMdhi involved is anusvAra-saMdhi which states, The end of a word म--ma is changed to anusvAra when followed by a constant.
• prasanna-vadanam has no saMdhi, since the words prasanna and vadanam are visheShaNe--adjectives, which are not inflected.
• It seems the grammar involved in the word dhyAyet is hard to crack. I understand it is derived from the verb ध्यै--dhyai--'to mediate upon' and the meaning of the word dhyAyet is 'should be meditated upon'. members who know better might explain the grammer involved here.
• sarva is a nominative plural meaning "all".
• vighnaH + upashAntaye becomes vighnopashAntaye in saMdhi. The saMdhi involved here is one of visarga-saMdhi.
upashAntaye is the fourth (dative) case inflection of the word upashAntiH. With the inflection it means, "for allaying/allevation".
Finally, let us notice the spaces between word and syllable boundaries in the text of this shlokam. I would like the opinion of members as to why words are conjoined as in prasannavadanaM and why words like dhyAyet and sarva stands by themselves.
रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥
To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.
--viShNu purANam
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