3.4.1
Mīmāṃsā Sūtra / Adhyāya 3 / 3.4.1
निवीतामिति मनुष्यधर्मः शब्दस्य तत्प्रधानत्वात्
nivītām iti manuṣyadharmaḥ śabdasya tatpradhānatvāt
The line
Of nivīta (निवीत) thus, a compound: manuṣya (मनुष्य), and dharma, a property, of a word, because of because that is its main thing.
Where it sits
In Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) Sūtra (सूत्र), adhyāya (अध्याय) 3. Śeṣa (शेष), the subsidiary. How you tell what serves a rite and what the rite serves. The words of this line are the ones to keep. A shorter line after this one may leave them unsaid.
Split: nivītām (निवीताम्) + iti (इति) + manuṣya-dharmaḥ (मनुष्य-धर्मः) + śabdasya (शब्दस्य) + tatpradhānatvāt (तत्प्रधानत्वात्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| nivītām (निवीताम्) | genitive plural, or accusative singular, feminine | nivīta (निवीत) |
| iti (इति) | indeclinable | thus. It closes a quote or a thought |
| manuṣya-dharmaḥ (मनुष्य-धर्मः) | nominative singular, masculine | a compound: manuṣya (मनुष्य), and dharma, a property. Read it from the end |
| śabdasya (शब्दस्य) | genitive singular | a word |
| tatpradhānatvāt (तत्प्रधानत्वात्) | ablative singular | because that is its main thing |
The phrases
nivītām (निवीताम्) is nivīta (निवीत). It stands as genitive plural, or accusative singular, feminine. iti (इति) is thus. It closes a quote or a thought. It stands as indeclinable. manuṣya-dharmaḥ (मनुष्य-धर्मः) is a compound: manuṣya (मनुष्य), and dharma, a property. Read it from the end. It stands as nominative singular, masculine.
śabdasya (शब्दस्य) is a word. It stands as genitive singular. tatpradhānatvāt (तत्प्रधानत्वात्) is because that is its main thing. It stands as ablative singular.
Sanskrit in this line
manuṣya-dharmaḥ (मनुष्य-धर्मः) is one compound. The hyphen is a teaching mark. Only the last member wears the case.
Say it back
Cover the English. Gloss nivītām (निवीताम्) and manuṣya-dharmaḥ (मनुष्य-धर्मः).