1.2.52
Mīmāṃsā Sūtra / Adhyāya 1 / 1.2.52
ऊहः
ūhaḥ
The line
There is modification of the mantra.
नेपालीमा
मन्त्रको फेरबदल हुन्छ।
Where it sits
The mantra whose meaning is in force remains the subject. Ūha (ऊह) is a use that presupposes that meaning. It stands beside the indicative mark of 1.2.51 as a second sign that the words are meant.
Split: ūhaḥ (ऊहः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| ūhaḥ (ऊहः) | nominative singular, masculine | modification, the adapted wording of a mantra |
The phrases
Ūha (ऊह) is seen only where the meaning is intended. The text says the father does not grow, nor the mother, which implies that others do grow. Parents are seen to grow through childhood, youth, and age. What the sentence is talking about is the growth of the word.
The growth of a word is its joining with a dual or a plural ending. Where the rite requires a different number, the ending is changed. One changes an ending because one knows what the word means. A string of sounds with no meaning would offer nothing to put in the dual or the plural.
Sanskrit in this line
Ūhaḥ (ऊहः) is a masculine noun from ūh (ऊह्), to modify a wording so that it fits. One word is the whole line. The predicate, that this belongs to meaningful mantras, is carried from the previous line.
Say it back
Explain ūha (ऊह) in plain words: the ending is changed for the number the rite requires, and that change shows the word is understood.
Next
1.2.53. Injunctive words inside mantras are quoted as what the speaker says.