Shloka 38

Nāmāṣṭottara-dviśata: Gaṇa–Chandas–Yati Catalogue and Mnemonic Coding

Devanagari script

पञ्चाश्वार्कैर्भतौ तन्वी नसभा भनया गणाः / क्रौञ्चपदा बाणशरवसुशैलैर्भमौ सभौ

Transliteration

pañcāśvārkairbhatau tanvī nasabhā bhanayā gaṇāḥ / krauñcapadā bāṇaśaravasuśailairbhamau sabhau

Translation

యాభై సంఖ్య, ‘అర్క’ (సూర్య) మరియు రెండు ‘భా’ సూచకాలతో ‘తన్వీ’ నక్షత్రం సూచించబడుతుంది; అలాగే ‘నసభా’, ‘భ’ ‘నయా’ ద్వారా గణాలు లెక్కించబడతాయి. ‘క్రౌంచపదా’ మరియు ‘బాణ, శర, వసు, శైలం’ సూచనలతో ‘భ’ ‘మౌ’ అనే రెండు స్థానాలు నిర్దేశించబడతాయి—ఇదే క్రమం.

Word by Word

• पञ्चाश्वार्कैः: by five-aśva-arka (a metrical count/markers)
• पञ्चाश्वार्कैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + अश्व + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• भतौ: in/at ‘bhatौ’ (marker)
• भतौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भतु (प्रातिपदिक; छन्दोगण-संज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (छन्दसि/परिभाषिक)

• तन्वी: Tanvī (name of a metre)
• तन्वी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तन्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नसभा: Nasabhā (marker-sequence/name)
• नसभा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न + सभा (प्रातिपदिक; छन्दोगण-संज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (परिभाषिक-संज्ञा)

• भनया: by ‘bhanā’ (marker)
• भनया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भन (प्रातिपदिक; छन्दोगण-संज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (छन्दसि/परिभाषिक)

• गणाः: gaṇas (metrical groups)
• गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• क्रौञ्चपदा: Krauñcapadā (name of a metre)
• क्रौञ्चपदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रौञ्च + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• बाणशरवसुशैलैः: by bāṇa, śara, vasu, and śaila (markers/counts)
• बाणशरवसुशैलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण + शर + वसु + शैल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• भमौ: in/at ‘bhamau’ (marker)
• भमौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भमु (प्रातिपदिक; छन्दोगण-संज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (छन्दसि/परिभाषिक)

• सभौ: in/at ‘sabhau’ (marker)
• सभौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सभु (प्रातिपदिक; छन्दोगण-संज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (छन्दसि/परिभाषिक)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mnemonic encoding using numbers, deities/objects, and astral names to remember gaṇa sequences and metrical stations (bha/mau etc.).

Vedantic Theme: Bandhu (correspondence) style thinking—linking disparate domains (number, astral name, word-symbol) to preserve knowledge.

Application: Use the symbolic markers (sun/arka, bāṇa/śara, vasu, śaila, krauñca-pada) as memory pegs for gaṇa placement and metre identification.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: nakshatra/astral marker

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.209: continued prosody mnemonics mixing numeric and symbolic terms for gaṇa designation

Characters & Entities

• Lord Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of these technical names (Tanvī, Gaṇa, Bha, Mau) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse uses coded or technical designations to classify and enumerate cosmic/astral groupings; it reflects the Purāṇic method of mapping names and markers to structured categories.

How does this verse relate to the Garuda Purana’s broader teachings?

While much of the Garuḍa Purāṇa discusses dharma, death rites, and the afterlife, it also contains cosmological and enumerative passages; this verse belongs to that classificatory layer within the Vishnu–Garuda dialogue.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

For practitioners and readers, it highlights careful preservation of traditional nomenclature and structured learning—useful when studying Purāṇic cosmology alongside ritual calendars and classical commentarial traditions.