1.1.24
Nyāya Sūtra / Adhyāya 1 / 1.1.24
यमर्थमधिकृत्य प्रवर्तते तत् प्रयोजनम्
yam artham adhikṛtya pravartate tat prayojanam
The line
The purpose is that thing with reference to which one acts.
नेपालीमा
प्रयोजन त्यो कुरा हो जसलाई हेरेर काम गरिन्छ।
Where it sits
prayojana from 1.1.1 is the word being defined. pravartate echoes pravṛtti (प्रवृत्ति) from 1.1.17, which is in force as the verb of acting.
Split: yam (यम्) + artham (अर्थम्) + adhikṛtya (अधिकृत्य) + pravartate (प्रवर्तते) + tat (तत्) + prayojanam (प्रयोजनम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| yam (यम्) | accusative singular, masculine | which |
| artham (अर्थम्) | accusative singular, masculine | thing, aim |
| adhikṛtya (अधिकृत्य) | indeclinable, gerund | having taken as one's topic |
| pravartate (प्रवर्तते) | present indicative, third person singular, ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद) | one acts, one sets out |
| tat (तत्) | nominative singular, neuter | that |
| prayojanam (प्रयोजनम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the purpose |
The phrases
The relative yam and the correlative tat frame the definition. Whatever aim one takes up, and then acts, that aim is the prayojana.
adhikṛtya (अधिकृत्य) is a gerund, 'having put it at the head of the action'. pravartate is the verb of pravṛtti (प्रवृत्ति). One does not call a thing a purpose unless action depends on it. The highest purpose of the book is still release, but the definition itself is general.
Sanskrit in this line
yam artham is a relative phrase in the accusative, and tat is its correlative in the nominative, agreeing with prayojanam. adhikṛtya (अधिकृत्य) is not a finite verb.
Say it back
Gloss prayojana with the pair yam artham adhikṛtya (अधिकृत्य) pravartate, tat.
Next
1.1.25. The familiar case is that thing on which ordinary people and examiners agree.