#SanskritAppreciationHour 16.10.2014 the story of शुनःशेप from ऐतरेय ब्राह्मण - class by Rohini Bakshi - Part 1
Sat Sri Akal and welcome all to today's #SanskritAppreciationHour Today we begin the story of शुनःशेप (śunaḥśepa) from ऐतरेय ब्राह्मण
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Text part 1 for today's story from the Aitareya Brahmana. Text Part 2 follows. pic.twitter.com/nlLoG7rtzP
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Part 2 of the text for today's story #SanskritAppreciationHour pic.twitter.com/iZIYObsczp
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Part 3 of text for today's story #SanskritAppreciationHour pic.twitter.com/OROAZMvRjX
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
The ऐतरेय ब्राह्मण is the Brahmana of the Śākala śākhā of the Rigveda. #SanskritAppreciationHour The story appears in the Rajasuya section.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
I have posted the #Sanskrit text of the part we will cover today in 3 pictures. You can find it on my TL. Shall we being #SanskritHour?
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
śunaḥśepa's story is quite well known and appears in many subsequent texts. But it is fascinating to learn #Vedic prose via the story. >>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Note the excessive use of pronouns, the use of the perfect (लिट्) as a narrative form & frequent repetition as an aid to memorise>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
>> as you are aware for centuries if not millennia, the sacred texts were transmitted orally and not committed to writing. So let us begin.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Also, for beginners, please compare my simplified tweets to the original text to understand sandhi #SanskritAppreciationHour #VedicSanskrit
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
हरिश्चन्द्र: ह वैधसः ऐक्ष्वाकः राजा अपुत्र आस। King Harishchandra, of the lineage Ikshvaku/Vedhas was issue-less. (He didn't have a son).
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
तस्य ह शतं जायाः बभूवुः। He had 100 wives (Lit. of him 100 wives were/became) Note ह - which gives authoritative emphasis in #VedicSanskrit
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
तासु पुत्रं न लेभे। तासु (in the 100 wives) पुत्रं a son न लेभे he did not obtain. i.e. Despite the 100 wives, he still didn't hv a son.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
@RohiniBakshi लिट् प्रथम पुरुष एकवचन of लभ् . Is that what you were asking? @bangalorehuduga
— Sandeep Nangia (@SNChd) October 16, 2014
तस्य ह पर्वतनारदौ गृहे ऊषतुः। तस्य गृहे in his house ह indeed पर्वतनारदौ Parvata and Naarada ऊषतुः stayed. (note dual perfect for 2 sages)
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Now we know that Naarada is a very wise sage with knowledge of past present and future. You may recall Valmiki's Ramayana also opens with>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Valmiki asking Naarada to tell him about the best among humans in this world... so to Harishchandra - ask सः ह नारदं पप्रच्छ। #SanskritHour
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Then follow 10 verses which dwell on the need for and nature of a son, which we will not do here - sufficeth to say - he asks Naarada how>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
>> how to have a son. Now we move onto text Part 2 - and let's see what Naarada tells Harishchandra to do, and what the king does. #SAH
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
अथ एनं उवाच। (sorry about all the pronouns, you just get used to them :-)अथ एनं उवाच। Then Naarada said to the King: वरुणम् राजानम् उपधाव
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
वरुणम् राजानम् उपधाव Go to (approach) King Varuna. Now we are still in the Vedic age, so you can see a v imp Vedic deity needs propitiation
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
पुत्रः मे जायतां तेन त्वा यजै इति। Let a son be born to me. With him I will sacrifice to you. #SanskritAppreciationHour #śunaḥśepa #Vedic
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
@RohiniBakshi विधि वशः => वैधसः no?
— Hari Tirumalai (@haritirumalai) October 16, 2014
@haritirumalai to the best of my knowledge it means he had an ancestor called vedhas
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
So Naarada tells the king to go to Varuna and tell him to give (the king) a son, with whom he (the king) will sacrifice to Varuna.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
तथा इति Like so, just so सः He (the king) वरुणम् राजानम् to King Varuna उपससार approached. #SanskritAppreciationHour #VedicSanskrit
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
And as instructed by Naarada he says to Varuna पुत्रः मे जायतां let a son be born to me तेन with him त्वा to you यजै i will sacrifice इति।
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
तथा इति Like so, just so, तस्य ह पुत्रः जज्ञे of him a son was born रोहितः नाम named Rohita #SanskritAppreciationHour #śunaḥśepa #Vedic
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
@RohiniBakshi ऊषतुः from वस् in लिट् right?
— Hari Tirumalai (@haritirumalai) October 16, 2014
तम् to him (the king) ह indeed उवाच (Varuna said) अजनि वै पुत्रः indeed a son has been born यजस्व मा sacrifice to me अनेन with him इति>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
note that इति is a speech marker, like inverted commas to show that someone has said these words. #SanskritAppreciationHour
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Now asked by Varuna to fulfill his commitment of sacrifice, सः ह उवाच। Harishchandra replies: यदा वै पशु: निर्दश: भवति अथ सः मेध्यः भवति।
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Clearly in no mood to sacrifice his newborn (son) he says यदा वै indeed when पशु: the sacrificial victim निर्दश: भवति अथ सः मेध्यः भवति>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
@haritirumalai yes. Vedhas means fate, from which we get vaidhasa - But it is also a name, as in this case, a patronym. of Vedhas
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
यदा वै indeed when पशु: the sacrificial victim निर्दश: भवति becomes 10 days old अथ then सः he मेध्यः भवति becomes worthy of sacrifice #SAH
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
निर्दशः नु अस्तु let him become 10 days old अथ then त्वा यजै इति I will sacrifice him to you । तथा इति। >>Fair enough. V generous of Varuna!
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
Let's see what happens after 10 days. सः (Rohita) ह निर्दशः आस became 10 days old। तम् ह उवाच। निर्दशः नु अभूत् यजस्व मा अनेन इति।>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
@haritirumalai @RohiniBakshi उवास - ऊषतुः - ऊषुः
— गुरुप्रसादः (@bangalorehuduga) October 16, 2014
>> तम् to (the king) ह उवाच Varuna said: निर्दशः नु अभूत् यजस्व मा अनेन इति He has become 10 days old, (now) sacrifice him to me>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
What d'u think happened? Did he sacrifice his son? Let's find out सः ह उवाच. The king said: यदा वै पशोः दन्ताः जायन्ते अथ सः मेध्यः भवति।
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
यदा वै पशोः दन्ताः जायन्ते अथ सः मेध्यः भवति when the teeth of the sacrificial victim appear (lit. are born) it becomes worthy of sacrifice.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
दन्ताः नु अस्य जायन्ताम् अथ त्वा यजै इति The king (continues) let his teeth appear then I will sacrifice (him) to you. #SanskritAppreciation
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
तथा इति। तस्य ह दन्ताः जज्ञिरे। Like so, his (Rohita's) teeth appeared (lit. were born) So Varuna said to the King >>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
तं ह उवाचाज्ञत वै अस्य दन्ताः यजस्व मा अनेन इति। To the King, Varuna said his teeth have appeared (now) sacrifice to me with him. #SAH
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
You'd think Harishchandra would have run out of green to play with, but no...he comes up with another reason not to sacrifice his son>>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
सः ह उवाच He (the king) said यदा वै पशोः दन्ताः पद्यन्ते when the sacrificial victims teeth fall अथ सः मेध्यः भवति then it becomes worthy>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
दन्ताः नु अस्य पद्यन्ताम् अथ त्वा यजै इति। Harishchandra says: Let his teeth fall out, then I will sacrifice to you. #SanskritAppreciation
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
तथा इति as you can imagine तस्य ह दन्ताः पेदिरे his teeth fell out तं ह उवाचापत्सत वै अस्य दन्ताः (Varuna) said to him,his teeth have fallen
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
यजस्व मा अनेन इति - sacrifice to me (with) him. #SanskritAppreciationHour #VedicProse #śunaḥśepa ऐतरेय ब्राह्मण
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
So we'll have to stop here. But follow #SanskritAppreciationHour #VedicProse next week for a continuation of śunaḥśepa's story :-)
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) October 16, 2014
