Nirukta in the Nārada Purāṇa

Nirukta is the Vedāṅga (limb of the Veda) that explains Vedic words: where they come from and what they mean. The Nārada Purāṇa calls it the śrotrāṅga, the “ear” or hearing-limb of the Veda.

Chapter 53 of the Nārada Mahā Purāṇa gives a short teaching on Nirukta. It covers the five ways in which Vedic words are formed; the rules of Vedic sound (svaras or tones, vyañjanas or consonants, vivṛttis, anusvāra and svara-bhakti); the grouping of dhātus (verbal roots) by their verb type and tone; and the rule called bāhulaka, which explains unusual Vedic word forms.

What Nirukta Is and What It Is For

Nirukta is the Vedic science of meaning. It shows where Vedic words come from, explains how Vedic sounds are formed and changed, and sets out how to understand unusual Vedic forms that seem to break the ordinary rules of grammar.

The Nārada Purāṇa calls it the śrotrāṅga, the hearing-limb of the Veda. Just as the ear takes in sound and makes sense of it, Nirukta lets the listener take in the full meaning of Vedic speech.

Five Ways of Forming Words (Pañca-Nirukta)

The Nārada Purāṇa teaches that Vedic words are formed in five ways (pañca-nirukta):

  1. Varṇāgama, adding a sound. Example: hasa with an anusvāra (the nasal “ṃ”) added gives haṃsaḥ, the word “haṃsa” (swan).
  2. Varṇa-viparyaya, swapping sounds. Example: the sounds of hiṃsa (violence) are swapped around to give siṃha (lion).
  3. Varṇa-vikāra, changing a sound. Example: in gūḍhātmā, the vowel ā changes to o, giving gūḍhotmā.
  4. Varṇa-nāśa, dropping a sound. Example: pṛshasadṛśa-udaraḥ becomes pṛshodara; the syllables sadṛśa are dropped to make the compound.
  5. Saṃyoga, joining sounds. Example: bhramara (bee) and similar words come about by joining sounds.

Bāhulaka: the Rule for Unusual Forms

The Nārada Purāṇa explains that for the Vedic language the grammarians accept a principle called bāhulaka, “the rule of wide usage”. Under it, many unusual Vedic forms are accepted as correct. Forms that cannot be built by the standard rules of grammar are explained through bāhulaka. It works in four ways:

  1. The rule applies (śāstra pravartate): the standard rule holds.
  2. The rule does not apply (śāstra na pravartate): the form is irregular.
  3. The rule applies optionally (vibhāshā): sometimes it applies, sometimes not.
  4. The rule is changed (anyathābhāva): the rule applies in a different way.

Through these four ways of bāhulaka, all the unusual Vedic forms, such as pūnar-vasu, nabhasvat, vṛshaṇa and many others, can be explained.

Groups of Verbal Roots (Dhātus)

The chapter gives a detailed grouping of Sanskrit verbal roots (dhātus). It sorts them by pada type: parasmaipada (active endings), ātmanepada (middle endings) or ubhayapada (both). It also sorts them by the tone (udātta, anudātta or svarita) of the marker letter, called it, attached to each root.

  • Parasmaipada roots with an udātta it: for example the paka-ādi group (52 roots), the ghasa-ādi group (88 roots), the jvala-ādi group (52 roots), the bhā-ādi roots, and others.
  • Ātmanepada roots with an anudātta it: for example the edha-ādi group (36 roots), the śoka-ādi group (42 roots), the dhīṇī-ādi group (10 roots), the kshudh-ādi group (52 roots), and others.
  • Roots with a svarita it (ubhayapada): the hika-ādi group (35 roots), the śihor-bhṛḍh-ādi group (4 roots), and others.
  • Other named groups: bhū-ādi (parasmaipada), manya-ādi (72 roots, parasmaipada), rāja-dhātu (ātmanepada), and others.

The root hāva is noted as the single root with a svarita it, which means it is ubhayapada.

Vedic Sounds: Svaras, Vivṛttis and Svara-Bhakti

The Nirukta chapter also covers parts of Vedic pronunciation, which may overlap with Śikshā (the Vedāṅga of phonetics).

Vivṛttis (degrees of openness when pronouncing): There are four vivṛttis: hrasvādivat, sāmputa, munda, and vatsānusāriṇī (or ubhayatrapākavatī). Their names are hrasva, dīrgha, vṛddha and pipīlikā respectively. Each is separated by set intervals measured in mātrās (units of time in pronunciation).

The three svaras (tones of the Vedic accent):

  • Udātta: the raised, high tone
  • Anudātta: the low tone
  • Svarita: the combined tone, the middle or falling tone

These three svaras are svara-pradhāna, the chief elements of Vedic sound. The svaras are called the sūtra (thread) of the system, and the vyañjanas (consonants) are the maṇis (jewels) strung on that thread.

Raṅga (resonance): Raṅga is a resonant, drawn-out sound. It rises from the hṛdaya (heart), is joined with kāṃsya (a ringing, bronze-like quality), is mṛdu (soft), and lasts two mātrās.

Svara-bhakti: Svara-bhakti is the slight vowel-like sound heard when pronouncing ṛ and the letter r (repha). It is of two kinds, svarod (rising from a vowel) and vyañjanod (rising from a consonant), depending on the sounds around it.

Rules for Vedic Recitation

The chapter ends with guidance for the student of the Veda:

  • Protect the jaṭhara-agni (the digestive fire) with suitable food and drink.
  • Rise at ushaḥkāla (dawn) and meditate on Brahman before starting recitation.
  • Recite the Vedas every day. Use twigs of particular trees, such as mango, modhuga and bilva, for dantadhāvana (cleaning the teeth); these purify the voice.
  • Begin recitation in a mandra (deep) tone. Do not try all seven svaras at will.
  • Do not hold the breath while reciting; this causes svara-vaikṛtya, distortion of the voice.
  • People with large mouths or hanging lips, who make every sound through the nose, who have rough throats, or who do not move the tongue, should not recite the Veda.

Sources

  • Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha, Chapter 53