Nāmāṣṭottara-dviśata: Gaṇa–Chandas–Yati Catalogue and Mnemonic Coding
नामाष्टोत्तरद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः सूत उवाच / श्रीरुक्था गेन सा ज्ञेया उत्युक्था स्त्री गुरुद्वयम् / मो नारी रो मृगी मध्या मगौ कन्या प्रतिष्ठया
nāmāṣṭottaradviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ sūta uvāca / śrīrukthā gena sā jñeyā utyukthā strī gurudvayam / mo nārī ro mṛgī madhyā magau kanyā pratiṣṭhayā
苏多说道:“这是第二百零九章,名为《Nāmāṣṭottara-dviśata》。以音节‘ge’应知她为Śrī-rukthā;以‘sa’应知她为Utyukthā。‘strī’表示一对重音(guru-dvaya)。‘mo’指女子;‘ro’指雌鹿(mṛgī)。‘madhyā’(居中者)即‘magau’;而‘kanyā’(少女)则与‘pratiṣṭhā’(安立、建立)相连而说。”
Sūta
Concept: Mnemonic mapping of syllables/gaṇas and guru-dvaya (two long syllables) to named metrical patterns.
Vedantic Theme: Order (niyama) and intelligibility in language; śabda as a disciplined vehicle of meaning.
Application: Use the mnemonics (‘ge’, ‘sa’, ‘strī’, etc.) to identify gaṇa patterns and scan verses accurately.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.209 (Nāmāṣṭottara-dviśata chapter on varṇa-vṛtta/gaṇa-nāma)
This verse functions like a chapter heading plus a technical mapping of syllables to specific name-forms/meanings, indicating a tradition of interpreting sacred names through phonetic components.
Unlike the preta/afterlife narrative sections, this verse is more lexical and mantra-like, focusing on name-interpretation and syllable-significations rather than Yama’s realm, punishments, or śrāddha rites.
It supports careful recitation and study of sacred names/mantras, encouraging practitioners to preserve correct syllables (akṣaras) and understand traditional glosses while chanting or reading.