Let noble thoughts ....
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté
There is a insightful śloka that is offered in the ṛg ved ( rig veda) saṃhitā¹ . It is ṛg ved 1.89.1. The ṛṣi is gotamaḥ rāhūgaṇaḥ , the devatā is the viṣvedevatāḥ (all the devatā collectively ) and the the meter is jagatī. We always mention these 3 when we have this information.
The śloka that appears within the first punctuation mark (called a virāma and looks like this | ) for now we can call it the 1st sentence,
is most often used... in a nutshell it is often translated as let noble thoughts come to us from every side.
ā no bhadrāḥ kratavo kṣyantu viśvato adabdhāso aparītāsa udbhidaḥ |
devā no yathā sadamid vṛdhe asanaprāyuvo rakṣitāro dive-dive || 1 or written like this १ in saṃskṛt
If one takes some time to look at the word definitions found in this śloka it is quite profound. Let me offer the definitions for each
word and ask you, the HDF reader, for your assessment of this śloka. What do you think is the meaning? What does it say to you?
What are your thoughts on this?
Translation of words; any inaccuracies or blemishes can only be attributed to me.
- ā - this is nipāta - a particle used in grammar. I see this in the form of 'ās' - meaning compassion; yet this ā becomes
affixed to 'yantu' later in the mantra , and I will point it out below. - no =naru = nṛ = people, mankind ~ we~ ; also means a person, a hero
- bhadrāḥ - blessed , auspicious , fortunate , prosperous , happy
- kratavo - kratu - plan , design , intention , resolution , determination , purpose ; kratu as intelligence personified
(as a son of brahmā and one of the prajāpatis or the seven principal ṛṣi-s ) - kṣyantu - others write this saṃskṛt translation as 'yantu'; by adding the 'ā' nipāta ( particle) found in front of the mantra we get āya meaning arrival , approach, from āyana coming , approaching. Some may say yantu brings us to suyantu meaning curbing or guiding well (as reins) ; another view is kṣyantu as I see it is akṣ ('a' coming from the nipāta - or particle "ā" that started the śloka) meaning 'to accumulate' , 'to cause to pervade' , 'to pass through , penetrate , pervade , embrace' ; ; one could say this applies as it compliments the next word viśvato.
- viśvato - viśva all-pervading or all-containing , omnipresent ~all sides~
- adabdhāso -adabdha - not deceived or tampered with , unimpaired , unbroken ~unaffiliated~
- aparītāsa - aparīta - unobstructed , irresistible
- udbhidaḥ - sprouting , germinating ; a fountain or spring
| the end of the 1st sentence
- devā = Divine; the shining ones
- no =naru = nṛ = people, mankind ~ we~ ; also means a person, a hero; yet can take the 'ā' from devā and apply
it to āno and this = ānu = human, living - yathā - ' so that', ' 'in this way' , 'in which manner or way , according as '
- sadamid - sadā = always; every time , continually , perpetually + mid = mit = mith =to unite , pair , couple ;
yet some way it is mit which yields ' anything set up or erected , a post , pillar ' - vṛdhe =vṛdh = to exalt , magnify , glorify - to increase
- asanaprāyuvo - asan = asat = not true, non-existence + aprāyu = not careless + vo = va = going
- rakṣitāro =rakṣitā = guarded , protected , saved , preserved , maintained , kept + ro=ra= giving
- dive-dive = day by day
|| the end of the 1 śloka or mantraṁ or stanza
Here is one translation by RL Kashyap to assist you in framing this śloka:
May auspicious knowledge come to us from all sides, which harm no one; are unimpeded and victorious over the forces of division |
May the gods be always for our increase, never moving away from us, but always guarding us day-to-day ||
praṇām
words
- nipāta - in grammar a particle (all adverbs including conjunctions and interjections) ; irregular form , irregularity , exception
- saṃhitā - put together , joined , attached . IN the ved it is considered 'uninterrupted' sequence of words e.g. the mantras.
This word has a deeper meaning: the force which holds together and supports the universe i.e. uninterrupted. - virāma - in grammer " the stop " . this mark is sometimes used in the middle of conjunctions of consonants but its proper use ,
according to native grammarians , is only as a stop at the end of a sentence.
Last edited by yajvan; 29 December 2010 at 11:37 AM.
यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
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