#SanskritAppreciationHour - 28.11.14 Notes on Visarga Sandhi from BG 1.4 - 1.6
By Rohini Bakshi
By Rohini Bakshi
Today's #SAH #śloka http://t.co/Mj1i7gdGNd Will be accompanied by #SAH at 3.30pm India time. Do join in if you are free!
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
SatSriAkal & welcome all to #SAH to the one space where you don't have look over your shoulder as you deepen your engagement with #Sanskrit!
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
Today's "A śloka a day" #SAH #SanskritGrammar http://t.co/Mj1i7gdGNd Enjoy #Sanskrit!
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
I had actually planned to continue with the Shunashepa story today, but as I worked on today's Śloka I realised it needed much explanation.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
If you have not seen, here it is it http://t.co/Mj1i7gdGNd and no prizes for guessing what today's #SAH will be about. Ok. Guess! :-D
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
Today's session is about visarga sandhi, the way we do it at #SAH. Online you might find something like this perhaps https://t.co/tS98FN7iuI
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
Or if you decide to use a text book for visarga sandhi, you might find something like this: pic.twitter.com/TlrQa7Sa6H
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
Now both the examples I have given you are excellent in their own way, but pose problems for the beginner of comprehension,and erm...boredom
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
So let us now go back to BG 1.4-6 which are today's text,& see how visarga sandhi operates in action. Shall we being? #SanskritAppreciation
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
First of all beginners may note that these verses are in the nominative/prathamA vibhakti, quite a rarity and a good opportunity to learn.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
अत्र शूरा महेष्वासा भीमार्जुनसमा युधि =अत्र here शूरा heroes महेष्वासा great archers भीमार्जुनसमा equal to Bhima/Arjuna युधि in battle.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
Now let's see what has happened to the visargas, which you are 99% bound to find in the masculine nominative. I hope you have the page open?
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
अत्र here
शूराः (visarga dropped before म of महेष्वासाः
महेष्वासाः mighty archers>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
भीमार्जुनसमाः equal to Bhīma and Arjuna (visarga dropped before the य of युधि) in battle. Already you have learned a rule of visarga sandhi!
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
युयुधानो विराटश् च द्रुपदश् च महारथः Here, युयुधानः becomes युयुधानो before विराटः and विराटः becomes विराटश् before the च. Simply put>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
> If you memorise a verse, automatically you will know what a visarga is going to do in a sandhi situation. What are the rules that govern>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
>once those examples are already in your head, you won't even have to memorise the rules! And that is the beauty of this approach #SAH
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
I shall leave you all to go through today's text peacefully http://t.co/Mj1i7gdGNd and then go through the sandhi rules which I first posted
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
3 things are of note in what must be the most boring ślokas in the Gita from a philosophical point of view!! 1: nominative/prathamA vibhakti
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
2. Visarga rules and 3 which we will now touch upon, the placement and role of च in a sentence. it means 'and' but if you see it between>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
a noun and an adjective,it is a connector rather than meaning 'and' for instance in विराटश् च द्रुपदश् च महारथःthe first च means 'and' while
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
द्रुपदश् च महारथः here it means the great warrior (mahArathi) Drupad. #SanskritAppreciationHour #SanskritGrammar So even a boring verse can>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
yield a lot of knowledge, if you only know where to look.Now let us proceed to the characters. Why is Duryodhana pointing out all these men?
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
I invite @ksmsundaram1975 @Mamdhata to join in if free, and share with us information about the Pāṇḍava-allies for our knowledge. I will>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
add information about the meaning of their names.I think since Drona has been the teacher of both sides,perhaps Duryodhana is trying to tell
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
Him how powerful the other side is, and perhaps hinting that Drona needs to stay on track and totally focused? What do you think? #SAH
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
युयुधानः is the son of Satyaka, and the name means 'anxious to fight' (BG 1.4)
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
विराटः is a warrior king with whom the Pāṇḍava's once took refuge. The name is of a district in India. Does anyone know it's modern name?
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
We all know who द्रुपदः was, but did you know his name means the one whose steps are rapid? Like drut laya in a raaga #SanskritAppreciation
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
धृष्टकेतुः his name means 'bold leader' while चेकितानः means 'highly intelligent' #SanskritAppreciation. Who says 'what's in a name!' :-)
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
पुरुजित् means 'he who conquers widely' and could the experts tell me of other nouns with this form? I'm at a loss to think of one.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
शैब्यः is the king of the Śibis, and you can see how it is constructed like कौन्तेय from कुन्ती and सौभद्रः from सुभद्रा #SanskritGrammar
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
And notice नरपुंगवः - best among men lit. a bull amongst men. In Ramayana 1.1 Naarada was called मुनिपुङ्गव if you recall...
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
युधामन्युः means 'fighting with spirit' while उत्तमौजः means of the highest, or best power' & all of them are महारथाः #SanskritAppreciation
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
@RohiniBakshi Is this पुरु ययाति-s son or different?
— Hari Tirumalai (@haritirumalai) November 28, 2014
@haritirumalai He was the ruler of Kuntibhoj. Arjuna's maternal uncle.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
So there you go. 3 seemingly boring verses that we normally skip over when we read the BG because we are (rightly) so keen to get to>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
> the best bits, and there are so many of them!. But even these 3 verses have so much to teach- grammar,word meaning pic.twitter.com/dmWjle4U81
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
I know grammar is dry and dull, but at some stage you have to get your head around it. So sweeten it! Read texts and let the grammar come>>
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014
And that's all I have to say for today. Do go through http://t.co/Mj1i7gdGNd #SAH's 'A śloka a day' and stay well! Ciao for now.
— Rohini Bakshi (@RohiniBakshi) November 28, 2014