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yajvan
03 July 2011, 06:07 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté


Listening to the radio the other day a word scholar was talking of the potential derivation of the word paṇḍita. The gentleman pronounced it puṇḍit which is reasonable and fine, yet it is my assessment it is for this reason he came to an inaccurate conclusion regarding the origins of this word.

It was his assessment ( and he said it's questionable to begin with) that puṇḍit comes from puṇ and an individual's ability to solve seemingly ambiguous truths offered (by puns or otherwise). He meant the word pun to mean the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning i.e. a play on words.

This is often found in the ved, upaniṣad-s, & āgama-s , where multiple meanings are possible. It is done for many reasons and it is called saṃjñā - to make signs to , communicate or make anything known by signs -or- we can call it saṃketa - a hint, allusion , preconcerted sign or signal or gesture.

Yet IMHO there is a specific and an extended meaning to puṇḍit we will properly call paṇḍita.

Paṇḍita पण्डित according to some , is a form of spandita ( we will address this in the next post). Yet we take paṇḍita from its definition of learned , wise , shrewd , clever , skillful in , conversant. From this definition there is a ~possibility~ that the paṇḍita could in fact solve puns, yet me thinks this is not his primary function.

If we break apart this word it will help us in his ~duties~.

paṇḍita = paṇ + ḍita :

pan = to honor , praise ; to be worthy of admiration or to admire
dita = boundSo, the paṇḍita is bound to the requirement of praising, admiring and honoring. But to whom does the praising go to? We have a few choices:

The Supreme
Knowledge
LearningAre there any hints in his name/title paṇḍita that may give us a clue ?

Within his name we have 'pa' - paṇḍita. This 'pa' is guarding and protecting. There is nice alignment here to knowledge , as the knower is aware of the truth, and 'protects' by being knowledgeable of right, correct and consistent knowledge.

Yet let me take the liberty of extending the idea just a bit more.

This 'pa' is found in music for pañcama the fifth note. Now what is very interesting (to me) is pañcama is also 'the 5th part'. In jyotish this would be the 5th house.

This indicator (kāraka¹) of the 5th house is guru ( jupiter) and buddha ( mercury). These grāha's ( ~planets~) indicate wisdom, intelligence, high morals, devotion, spiritual practices. Those things we find in the offerings of the paṇḍita. So we can see by 'pa' that alignment to the dharma of the paṇḍita of knowledge, wisdom and learning. This 5th house too also is the indicator of mantra siddhi - the perfection of mantra.

But what of the Supreme ? I mention paṇ + ḍita is the bond to honor and praise. How can I surmise it is directed to the Supreme ? By this word spandita. We will take this up in the next post.

praṇām

words

kāraka - instrumental in bringing about the action ; making, doing, intending to act or do

yajvan
03 July 2011, 08:21 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté



How can I surmise it is directed to the Supreme ? By this word spandita. The word spandita स्पन्दित is defined as quivering, a pulsation , throb , trembling ; it also means 'set in motion'. We may call it vibration.

Now within kaśmir śaivism the notion of spanda is of key import, as it is the subject matter of the spanda-kārikā āgama. This whole śāstra is the discussion of spanda as the prime quality of śiva. We are talking of śiva is His perfect quality of brahman (in kaśmir śaivism it is called the 3rd brahman; more on this if there is interest).

If we were talking of brahman from a vedāntic point of view brahman is perfectly still without movement at all. The kaśmir śaivism view suggests this brahman (śiva) has its own Self-referral - He is aware of It-Self. This awareness is the ~movement~, the quiver, the vibration.

Yet lets look to the beacon of light within kaśmir śaivism abhinavagupta-ji. He calls is kiñcit calanaṁ or 'movement as it were'. He says its a spiritual rapture in the essential nature of the Divine which excludes all succession. That is, the Divine aware of Its own Self is the ~movement as it were~.

There is no movement as we know it - a point from here to there - we find in time and space, but that of a spiritual dyanamism of the Divine, some like to call vimarśa. Properly written is vimṛśa meaning Self-reflection. For this conversation we will keep with vimarśa and call it call Self-examination.

So what is the connection back to paṇḍita ? It brings us to spandita and the vibration of the Divine. Yet it also brings the paṇḍita to the ~vibration~ of his own self via his praises to the Supreme via his mantra's he voices.

So it is in fact (as I see it) the paṇḍita's dharma of praising, admiring and honoring the Supreme on the 3 levels aforementioned:

The Supreme - the fruits of his mantras
Knowledge - of the śāstra-s to offer them properly , in praise and in teaching
Learning - on mutiple levelspraṇām