3.8.24
Mīmāṃsā Sūtra / Adhyāya 3 / 3.8.24
गौणो वा कर्मसामान्यात्
gauṇo vā karmasāmānyāt
The line
Secondary or, because of a compound: action, and a common case.
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 line is short. adhvaryuḥ (अध्वर्युः) from 3.8.23 is still in force. A sūtra (सूत्र) leaves a word out when the line before still holds it. That carrying is anuvṛtti (अनुवृत्ति).
Split: gauṇaḥ (गौणः) + vā (वा) + karma-sāmānyāt (कर्म-सामान्यात्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| gauṇaḥ (गौणः) | nominative singular, masculine | secondary |
| vā (वा) | indeclinable | or |
| karma-sāmānyāt (कर्म-सामान्यात्) | ablative singular | a compound: action, and a common case. Read it from the end |
The phrases
gauṇaḥ (गौणः) is secondary. It stands as nominative singular, masculine. The line writes it gauṇo (गौणो). vā (वा) is or. It stands as indeclinable.
karma-sāmānyāt (कर्म-सामान्यात्) is a compound: action, and a common case. Read it from the end. It stands as ablative singular.
Sanskrit in this line
karma-sāmānyāt (कर्म-सामान्यात्) is one compound. The hyphen is a teaching mark. Only the last member wears the case. The line writes it gauṇo (गौणो).
Say it back
Cover the English. Gloss gauṇaḥ (गौणः) and karma-sāmānyāt (कर्म-सामान्यात्).