Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study)
by A. Yamuna Devi | 2012 | 77,297 words | ISBN-13: 9788193658048
This page relates 鈥楨arth and its aspects鈥� of the study on the Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (in English) which represents a commentary on the Amarakosha of Amarasimha. These ancient texts belong the Kosha or 鈥渓exicography鈥� category of Sanskrit literature which deals with the analysis and meaning of technical words from a variety of subjects, such as cosmology, anatomy, medicine, hygiene. The Amarakosa itself is one of the earliest of such text, dating from the 6th century A.D., while the Amarakoshodghatana is the earliest known commentary on that work.
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Earth and its aspects
础尘补谤补办辞艣补 deals with earth and its aspects in the 叠丑奴尘颈 varga.
(a) 叠丑奴尘颈岣� (II.1.1-4; p.70)鈥�
[Earth:]
Earth is denoted by many terms of which a few are explained by 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 as follows鈥�
(i) 叠丑奴鈥攁s everything is born of this鈥�
产丑补惫补迟测补蝉尘腻迟 蝉补谤惫补峁� bh奴岣� |
(ii) 闯测腻 is to win or originate鈥�
jin膩ti j膩yate v膩 箩测腻 |
In this connection it is interesting to note the critical comment made by 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 on the derivation of 箩测腻 as a sacrifice.
He considers such a derivation as foolish.
ijyeti m奴rkhavy膩khy膩 |
(iii) 碍腻艣测补辫墨鈥�
The earth is called 办腻艣测补辫墨 as it is said in the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 that Jamadagni conquered the whole earth and gave it to 碍补艣测补辫补.
(iv) Avani鈥攁s it protects people or is protected by the king鈥�
腻惫补迟颈 辫谤补箩腻 膩vyate v膩 n峁沺airavani岣�|
(b) M峁泃tik膩 (II. 1. 5; p. 70)鈥�
[Soil:]
Soil grading is also mentioned in 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 to which 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 adds valuable notes wherever necessary.
He records that the land with black soil was called 办峁涐梗峁嘺产丑奴尘补; the land endowed with superior soil鈥�耻诲补峁卋丑奴尘补; and the land having white soil is 辫腻峁囜笉耻产丑奴尘补[1] 鈥�
办峁涐梗峁嘺产丑奴尘补岣� k峁涐梗峁嘺m峁泃tikodambh奴ma uda峁卪峁沝i | 辫腻峁囜笉耻产丑奴尘补岣� p膩峁囜笉um峁沜ca ||
(c) Aprahata (II. 1. 6; p. 71)鈥�
[Untilled land:]
An untilled land was termed khila or aprahata, 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 explains aprahata land as that land not tilled with plough or other tools鈥�
na prahanyate hal膩dibhiraprahatamak峁涐梗峁璦峁� k峁tr膩di |
(d) 惭峁沢补迟峁涐梗峁嚹� (I. 2. 36; p. 31)鈥�
[Mirage:]
惭峁沢补迟峁涐梗峁嚹� and 尘补谤墨办腻 denote a mirage.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 explains the formation of mirage as the reflection of light on the particles of sand which produces the illusion of water to the onlooker鈥�
mar墨cipratik峁泃irmar墨cik膩 | gr墨峁e sikat膩svarkakar膩岣� pratiphalit膩 jalatven膩bh膩nti 膩ta eva marumar墨cikocyate ||
(e) Samudra (I. 9. 1-2; p. 61)鈥�
[Oceans:]
础尘补谤补办辞艣补 gives 15 words to denote an ocean or a sea. Mentioning that there are varieties of oceans 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 mentions only 碍峁Ｄ玶补 and 濒补惫补峁嘺.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 adds five others[2] 补蝉鈥�dadhyuda, 驳丑峁泃辞诲补, suroda, ik峁Ｅ玠a and 蝉惫腻诲奴诲补鈥�
腻辫补谤别 dadhyuda驳丑峁泃辞诲补surodek峁Ｅ玠asv膩d奴d膩岣� |
(f) Nad墨:
骋补峁単腻, 驰补尘耻苍腻, 狈补谤尘补诲腻, 碍补谤补迟辞测腻, 叠腻丑耻诲腻, 艢补迟补诲谤奴, 痴颈辫腻艣腻, 厂腻谤补惫补迟颈 and a few other rivers are mentioned in 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 (I.9.31-34; pp.66-7). 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 adds 厂补谤补测奴, 顿别惫颈办腻, 骋辞诲腻惫补谤墨 and 痴别峁嚹� to the list.
(g) Ponds:
(i) 础办丑腻迟补尘 or 诲别惫补办丑腻迟补办补尘 (I. 9. 27; p.66)鈥揂 natural pond: A natural pond is called 补办丑腻迟补尘 or 诲别惫补办丑腻迟补办补尘, 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 observes that according to some it is also called 腻办丑腻迟补尘 or 苍腻驳腻诲颈办耻峁囜笉补尘鈥�
n膩g膩diku峁囜笉a鈥攎ak峁泃rimam腻办丑腻迟补尘ityeke |
(ii) 罢补岣嵞乬补 (I. 9. 28; p. 66)鈥揂 lotus pond: 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 observes that the word is variously spelt in usage.
According to some it is 迟补岣嵞乲补 while others use the word as 迟补峁乲补鈥�
ta岣� 膩gh膩te 迟补岣嵞乲补 ityeke, ta峁乶yakati迟补峁乲补mityanye |
(h) Cakr膩峁噄 (I. 9. 7; p. 62)鈥�
[Whirlpool:]
A winding descent of water is called 肠补办谤腻峁噄. observes that in the 惭腻濒腻 the word is 惫补办谤腻峁噄. He also remarks that a 骋补耻岣峚 had mistaken it to mean the river 惫补峁卥腻鈥�
cakr膩k膩re峁嘺 y膩ntyadha岣� | vakr膩峁嚹玹i m膩l膩 | nad墨惫补峁卥腻khy膩 iti ca gau岣峯 产丑谤腻苍迟补岣� |
(i) K奴paka (I. 9. 10; p. 62)鈥�
[Well:]
A temporaray well is called 办奴辫补办补 or 惫颈诲腻谤补办补.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 explains that the hollow dug in the dried river bed resembling a well is a 办奴辫补办补 and quotes from the texts of 碍腻迟测补 and 惭腻濒腻鈥�
k奴papratik峁泃i岣グ炫璨拱觳贯弗 艣u峁anady膩dau jal膩rtha峁� gart膩岣riyante |
yatk膩tya岣ivar膩峁僰奴pak膩n膩hu岣� |
惫颈诲腻谤补测补迟颈 办峁腻峁� 惫颈诲腻谤补办补岣� |
m膩l膩ca cu峁囜笉墨 vivarots膩艣ca k奴pak膩岣� |
(j) Gotra (II. 3. 1; p. 78)鈥�
[Mountain:]
础尘补谤补办辞艣补 dedicates a separate section called the 艢补颈濒补 varaga dealing with mountains.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍's special remarks on these are observed here 补蝉鈥揷ommenting on the term gotra 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 observes that it is so called as it is believed to uphold the earth/support the earth鈥�
g膩峁� tr膩yate 驳辞迟谤补岣� |
Some of the mountains mentioned in the 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 are western and eastern mountains, 贬颈尘腻濒补测补蝉, 狈颈峁诲补, Vindhyas, 惭腻濒测补惫腻苍, 笔腻谤颈测腻迟谤颈办补, 骋补苍诲丑补尘腻诲补苍补 and 贬别尘补办奴峁璦[3]. 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 adds Malaya and Mandara to the above list.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 adds that the Himalayas were considered the king of mountains and Malaya reknown for the sandal trees鈥�
膩di鈥斉沘bd膩nmalayamandar膩dy膩岣� | him膩calo'drir膩ja岣� sy膩nmalaya艣candan膩cala岣� ||
(k) Guh膩 (II. 3. 5-6; p. 79)鈥�
[Caves:]
An artificial cave is denoted by terms 诲补谤墨 and 办补苍诲补谤腻, while natural caves by words 驳耻丑腻 and gahvara.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 observes that the word 办补苍诲补谤腻 can optionally be used in masculine gender as 办补苍诲补谤补岣�. He further remarks that some take all the four words in the same sense. He also quotes the views of 碍腻迟测补 and 艢腻艣惫补迟补 (656)鈥�
d墨ryate 诲补谤墨 pac膩ditv膩dac | 办耻迟蝉颈迟补峁� d墨ryate ka峁� d峁涐箛膩ti v膩 办补苍诲补谤腻 | pak峁 r奴p膩tpum膩n kandaro'pi | same ityartha岣� | dev补办丑腻迟补尘ak峁泃aka峁� 产颈濒补峁� bhedane |g奴hati 驳耻丑腻 | 膩ge hvarati g膩hyate v膩 gahvaram | 膩k峁泃akabilavi峁ye 驳耻丑腻 驳补丑惫补谤补峁� cetyeke p奴rve峁嘺 saha sa峁僢adhnanti | yatk膩ya岣�鈥�诲别惫补办丑腻迟别 bile 驳耻丑腻 | 艣膩艣vatopy膩ha驳补丑惫补谤补峁� biladambhayo岣� |
(l) Ga峁囜笉a 艢ail膩 (II. 3. 6; p. 79)[4] 鈥�
[Rock-fall and Earthquake:]
The huge rock fallen from mountain is called 驳补峁囜笉补艣补颈濒腻. 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 supplements that these are rocks thrown away by an earthquake鈥�
驳补峁囜笉腻岣� 艣补颈濒腻岣� iva sth奴latv膩t 驳补峁囜笉补艣补颈濒腻岣� cyut膩岣h奴kamp膩din膩 galit膩岣� ||
From this it could be surmised that occurences of earthquake and their consequences were known to people of 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍's time.
(m) Khani (II. 3. 7; p. 79)鈥�
[Mines:]
Khani is the mine from where the minerals are mined out.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 adds that it is also spelt as 碍丑腻苍颈. The place of mineral deposits is 腻办补谤补丑. 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 adds the word 驳补帽箩腻 in the same sense and quotes 艢腻艣惫补迟补鈥� s text (404) in support of his view:
khanyate loh膩dayo'sy膩岣� 办丑补苍颈岣� kh膩ni艣ca |
腻办墨谤测补苍迟别 诲丑腻迟补惫辞'蝉尘颈苍 腻办补谤补岣� |驳补帽箩腻pi |
测补肠肠丑腻艣惫补迟补岣モ赌�
产丑腻峁囜笉腻驳腻谤补峁� vidurga帽ja峁� khanau 驳补帽箩腻 sur膩g峁沨e ||
(n) Dh膩tu (II. 3. 8; p. 80)[5]
[Minerals:]
Some of the 诲丑腻迟耻蝉 (minerals) mentioned by 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 are 贬颈峁単耻濒补鈥捣别谤尘颈濒濒颈辞苍, 厂耻惫补谤峁嘺鈥�gold, 搁奴辫测补尘鈥�silver, 罢腻尘补谤补尘鈥揷辞辫辫别谤, 贬补谤颈迟腻濒补尘鈥搚ellow pigment, 惭补苍补岣ヅ沬濒腻鈥搑ed arsenic, Gaurika鈥搘hite quail, 础帽箩补苍补办补鈥揳苍迟颈尘辞苍测, 厂墨蝉补鈥搇别补诲, loha鈥搃谤辞苍.
He also mentions some of the minerals found in mountains as Gandhaka鈥揝ulphur and Abhram鈥�Mica鈥�
dhatte 诲丑腻迟耻岣� |
膩di艣abd膩ddhi峁単ul膩di |
测补诲腻丑耻岣� 蝉耻惫补谤峁嘺谤奴辫测补迟腻尘谤腻峁噄 丑补谤颈迟腻濒补峁� mana岣ヅ沬l膩 |
gaurik膩帽janak膩s墨salohas墨s膩岣ahi峁単ul膩岣� ||
gandhako'bhrakamityady膩 dh膩tavo girisa峁僢hav膩岣� ||
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
The terms to denote a forest and a garden, and other varieties of soils are dealt with in the section on Flora.
[2]:
In the Atharva Veda (Vol.III, p.141 edt S.P.Pandit), 厂腻测补峁嘺 commenting on the word samudra mentions their number as seven; 搁腻尘腻测补峁嘺 (III. 74. 25) mentions the seven oceans.
[3]:
[4]:
驳补峁囜笉补艣补颈濒腻stu cyut膩岣� sth奴lopal膩 gire岣� ||
[5]:
dh膩turmana岣ヅ沬l膩dyadrergaurika峁� tu 惫颈艣别峁迟补岣�| |