Shloka 50

Adhyaya 23 — Ashvatara’s Vow for Madalasa and the Bestowal of Musical Science by Sarasvati

Sanskrit

अश्वतर उवाच सहायं देहि देवि ! त्वं पूर्वं कंबलमेव मे ।

समस्तस्वरसंबन्धमुभयोः संप्रयच्छ च ॥

Transliteration

aśvatara uvāca sahāyaṃ dehi devi ! tvaṃ pūrvaṃ kambalameva me /

samastasvarasambandhamubhayoḥ saṃprayaccha ca

Translation

อัศวตรากล่าวว่า: โอ้เทวี โปรดประทานความเกื้อกูลแก่ข้าก่อน ดังที่ทรงช่วยพี่น้องของข้าคือกัมพล และโปรดประทานแก่เราทั้งสองซึ่งความรู้/ความเชื่อมโยงอันสมบูรณ์แห่งสวระทั้งปวง

Word by Word

• aśvataraḥ: Aśvatara
• aśvataraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvatara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person, Singular

• sahāyam: a helper, assistance
• sahāyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• dehi: give
• dehi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular; Parasmaipada

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Nominative, Singular; 2nd person pronoun

• pūrvam: first, earlier
• pūrvam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: Adverbial accusative used as indeclinable (पूर्वम्)

• kambalam: Kambala (name)
• kambalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kambala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक/अवधारणार्थक)

• me: my/to me (contextual)
• me: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad/asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (षष्ठी), Singular; 1st person enclitic pronoun (mama)

• samasta-svara-sambandham: the complete connection of vowels
• samasta-svara-sambandham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samasta-svara-sambandha (प्रातिपदिक; samasta + svara + sambandha)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular; multi-member tatpuruṣa: ‘connection (sambandha) of all (samasta) vowels (svara)’

• ubhayoḥ: of both (of them)
• ubhayoḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ubhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (षष्ठी), Dual (द्विवचन)

• saṃprayaccha: grant, bestow
• saṃprayaccha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-pra-√yam (यम् धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd person, Singular; Parasmaipada

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

Speakers

• Aśvatara to Sarasvatī

Verse Rasa

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

Primary Deities

• Sarasvatī

Shakti Aspects

• Sarasvatī as patron of music/phonetics (gīta-vāk-śakti)

Key Themes

• Music theory
• Sacred sound
• Boon request
• Transmission of knowledge

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Knowledge-arts (music/phonetics) are treated as divine gifts; the verse models seeking skill not for vanity but through devotion and for shared benefit (‘for both of us’).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Outside pancalakṣaṇa; it is an upākhyāna element illustrating how śāstric arts originate in divine revelation/anugraha.

What is the esoteric significance?

Requesting ‘svara-sambandha’ links cosmic order to sound: mastery of tonal relations symbolizes attunement to ṛta (harmonic law) through Sarasvatī.