3.8.20
Mīmāṃsā Sūtra / Adhyāya 3 / 3.8.20
अध्वर्युर् वा तदर्थो हि न्यायपूर्वे समाख्यानम्
adhvaryur vā tadartho hi nyāyapūrve samākhyānam
The line
The adhvaryu priest or, that, the thing, the meaning. In a compound: the rule, the right way, and the earlier, a compound: a name, and not.
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: adhvaryuḥ (अध्वर्युः) + vā (वा) + tad (तद्) + arthaḥ (अर्थः) + hi (हि) + nyāya-pūrve (न्याय-पूर्वे) + samākhyā-nam (समाख्या-नम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| adhvaryuḥ (अध्वर्युः) | nominative singular | the adhvaryu priest |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | or |
| tad (तद्) | nominative or accusative singular, neuter | that |
| arthaḥ (अर्थः) | nominative singular, masculine | the thing, the meaning |
| hi (हि) | indeclinable | for, indeed |
| nyāya-pūrve (न्याय-पूर्वे) | locative singular, or nominative or accusative dual, neuter | a compound: the rule, the right way, and the earlier. Read it from the end |
| samākhyā-nam (समाख्या-नम्) | accusative singular, masculine, or nominative or accusative singular, neuter | a compound: a name, and not. Read it from the end |
The phrases
adhvaryuḥ (अध्वर्युः) is the adhvaryu priest. It stands as nominative singular. The line writes it adhvaryur. vā (वा) is or. It stands as indeclinable. tad (तद्) is that. It stands as nominative or accusative singular, neuter. arthaḥ (अर्थः) is the thing, the meaning. It stands as nominative singular, masculine. The line joins them as tadartho.
hi (हि) is for, indeed. It stands as indeclinable. nyāya-pūrve (न्याय-पूर्वे) is a compound: the rule, the right way, and the earlier. Read it from the end. It stands as locative singular, or nominative or accusative dual, neuter. samākhyā-nam (समाख्या-नम्) is a compound: a name, and not. Read it from the end. It stands as accusative singular, masculine, or nominative or accusative singular, neuter.
Sanskrit in this line
samākhyā-nam (समाख्या-नम्) is one compound. The hyphen is a teaching mark. Only the last member wears the case. The line writes it adhvaryur. The line joins them as tadartho.
Say it back
Cover the English. Gloss adhvaryuḥ (अध्वर्युः) and arthaḥ (अर्थः).