1.2.32
Mīmāṃsā Sūtra / Adhyāya 1 / 1.2.32
वाक्यनियमात्
vākyaniyamāt
The line
Because the wording is kept in a fixed order.
नेपालीमा
पाठ निश्चित क्रममा राखिएकाले।
Where it sits
The mantra, and the claim that only the utterance helps, are still in force from 1.2.31. Vākya (वाक्य) here is the mantra sentence. Niyama is the fixed order the objector uses as a reason.
Split: vākya-niyamāt (वाक्य-नियमात्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| vākya-niyamāt (वाक्य-नियमात्) | ablative singular, masculine | because of the restriction of the sentence, the fixed order of its words |
The phrases
Mantras keep a fixed order of words. 'Agni is the head of the sky' is not recited backwards.
If the mantra were for conveying a meaning, the reversed order would still convey it, and the restriction would be idle. If it is for one particular utterance, the reverse is a different utterance, and the restriction has a point. The objector takes the side on which the restriction does work. He notes the reply waiting for him: some fixed orders are meaningful, because the reverse would not be understood at all, as with the dual name of Indra and Agni.
Sanskrit in this line
Vākyaniyama (वाक्यनियम) is the rule that the words stay in one order. The ablative is a reason under the objector's claim.
Say it back
Add the fixed order: reversing the words would still leave a meaning, so the objector says the meaning is not the point.
Next
1.2.33. The meaning is already understood before the mantra is spoken.