Shloka 52

Adhyaya 45 — Jaimini’s Cosmological Questions and the Opening of Markandeya’s Account of Primary Creation

Sanskrit

गतिर्विसर्गो ह्यानन्दः शिल्पं वाक्यं च कर्म तत् ।

आकाशं शब्दमात्रन्तु स्पर्शमात्रं समाविशत् ॥

Transliteration

gatirvisargo hyānandaḥ śilpaṃ vākyañca karma tat / ākāśaṃ śabdamātrantu sparśamātraṃ samāviśat

Translation

Le mouvement, l’évacuation, le plaisir, l’ouvrage manuel (artisanat) et la parole sont leurs fonctions. Puis l’éther (ākāśa), constitué du seul son, fut pénétré par l’élément subtil du seul toucher.

Word by Word

• gatiḥ: movement
• gatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• visargaḥ: excretion/discharge
• visargaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: visarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), causal/emphatic

• ānandaḥ: pleasure
• ānandaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• śilpam: craft/skill
• śilpam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śilpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• vākyam: speech/utterance
• vākyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• karma: action
• karma: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• tat: that
• tat: Anuvāda/Pratyaya (अनुवाद/संबन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• ākāśam: ether/space
• ākāśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• śabda-mātram: having only sound
• śabda-mātram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śabda (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); ‘only sound’ qualifying ākāśam

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), contrast/emphasis

• sparśa-mātram: only touch
• sparśa-mātram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sparśa (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• samāviśat: entered/pervaded
• samāviśat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: viś (धातु) + sam- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

Speakers

• Not explicitly indicated in the provided excerpt (cosmology narration within the Purāṇic discourse)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Sāṅkhya
• Karmendriya functions
• Mahābhūta evolution
• Guṇa accumulation
• Sarga

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse maps faculties to their functions, then returns to cosmogenesis: elements evolve by successive ‘impregnation’ with additional tanmātras. It implies that complexity arises by layered additions—useful as a contemplative model for how experience compounds.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Sarga: both the functional description of organs and the stepwise evolution of the gross elements.

What is the esoteric significance?

Ether as ‘sound-only’ becoming associated with touch suggests the first thickening of manifestation: vibration (sound) gains tangibility (touch). Symbolically, subtle intention becomes actionable presence.