Nārada Bhakti Sūtras / The means (साधन) / 38
38
the Nārada Bhakti Sūtras (नारद भक्ति सूत्रस्)
मुख्यतस् तु महत्कृपयैव भगवत्कृपालेशाद् वा mukhyatas tu mahatkṛpayaiva bhagavatkṛpāleśād vā
The line
But chiefly by the grace of the great alone, or from a trace of the grace of the Blessed.
नेपालीमा
मुख्य चाहिँ महान्को कृपाले नै, अथवा भगवान्को कृपाको लेशले।
Where it sits
The chief means, after the list of abandonings and of hearing.
Split: mukhyataḥ (मुख्यतः) + tu (तु) + mahatkṛpayā (महत्कृपया) + eva (एव) + bhagavatkṛpāleśāt (भगवत्कृपालेशात्) + vā (वा)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| mukhyataḥ (मुख्यतः) | indeclinable | chiefly. Recited with s before t (त्). |
| tu (तु) | indeclinable | but. Marks the chief means. |
| mahatkṛpayā (महत्कृपया) | instrumental singular, feminine | by the grace of a great one. mahat (महत्) is great. kṛpā (कृपा) is grace. Instrumental of the means. The final ā (आ) joins eva (एव). Read from the end. |
| eva (एव) | indeclinable | alone, itself. |
| bhagavatkṛpāleśāt (भगवत्कृपालेशात्) | ablative singular, masculine | from a small part of the grace of the Blessed. leśa (लेश) is a small part, a trace. Recited with d before v (व्). Read from the end. |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | or. Joins the trace of grace to the grace of the great. |
The phrases
mukhyataḥ (मुख्यतः) tu marks the chief means. mahatkṛpayā (महत्कृपया) eva is one means, instrumental. bhagavatkṛpāleśāt (भगवत्कृपालेशात्) vā (वा) is the other, ablative. Both hang on the gaining carried from the chapter.
Sanskrit in this line
mukhyataḥ (मुख्यतः) before tu is mukhyatas. kṛpayā (कृपया) plus eva is kṛpayaiva (कृपयैव), ā (आ) plus e becoming ai. leśāt (लेशात्) before vā (वा) is leśād (लेशाद्), t becoming d before the voiced v.
Say it back
What is the chief means, and what stands as the other?