Speech and sound / Saṅgītaratnākara / 1.3.6 Na and da
1.3.6
The Saṅgītaratnākara (सङ्गीतरत्नाकर)
नकारं प्राणनामानं दकारमनलं विदुः ।
जातः प्राणाग्निसंयोगात् तेन नादोऽभिधीयते nakāraṃ prāṇanāmānaṃ dakāram analaṃ viduḥ |
jātaḥ prāṇāgnisaṃyogāt tena nādo 'bhidhīyate
The line
They know the syllable na (न) as the one named breath, and the syllable da (द) as fire. Arisen from the joining of breath and fire, it is therefore called nāda (नाद).
नेपालीमा
उनीहरू न अक्षरलाई प्राण नामको र द अक्षरलाई अग्नि जान्छन्। प्राण र अग्निको जोडबाट उठेकाले त्यसलाई नाद भनिन्छ।
Where it sits
This is a nirukti (निरुक्ति), an explanation of the name by its parts. The commentary says Mataṅga (मतङ्ग) also derives nāda (नाद) from the root nad (नद्), to sound. That derivation is his. This verse gives na (न) and da (द). The fire and the wind of 1.3.3 are the same pair this explanation names.
Split: nakāram (नकारम्) + prāṇa-nāmānam (प्राण-नामानम्) + dakāram (दकारम्) + analam (अनलम्) + viduḥ (विदुः) + jātaḥ (जातः) + prāṇa-agni-saṃyogāt (प्राण-अग्नि-संयोगात्) + tena (तेन) + nādaḥ (नादः) + abhidhīyate (अभिधीयते)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| nakāram (नकारम्) | accusative singular, masculine | The syllable na (न). |
| prāṇa-nāmānam (प्राण-नामानम्) | accusative singular, masculine | The one whose name is prāṇa (प्राण), breath. Agrees with nakāram (नकारम्). |
| dakāram (दकारम्) | accusative singular, masculine | The syllable da (द). |
| analam (अनलम्) | accusative singular, masculine | Fire. What they know da (द) as. |
| viduḥ (विदुः) | perfect, third person plural | They know. No noun in the verse names them. The commentary supplies the people who know the seed-syllables. The verb stays as the verse has it. |
| jātaḥ (जातः) | nominative singular, masculine | Arisen. Agrees with nādaḥ (नादः). |
| prāṇa-agni-saṃyogāt (प्राण-अग्नि-संयोगात्) | ablative singular, masculine | From the joining of breath and fire. |
| tena (तेन) | instrumental singular, neuter | By that, for that reason. |
| nādaḥ (नादः) | nominative singular, masculine | Nāda (नाद). Heard nādo (नादो) before abhidhīyate (अभिधीयते). |
| abhidhīyate (अभिधीयते) | present, third person singular, passive | Is called. |
The phrases
The name is taken apart into na (न) and da (द). Na (न) is breath. Da (द) is fire.
It is called nāda (नाद) because it arises from their joining. That is the reason tena (तेन) points at.
Sanskrit in this line
A final m (म्) before a consonant is heard as anusvara. nakāraṃ prāṇa (नकारं प्राण), prāṇanāmānaṃ dakāram (प्राणनामानं दकारम्), analaṃ viduḥ (अनलं विदुः).
Nādaḥ (नादः) plus abhidhīyate (अभिधीयते) is nādo 'bhidhīyate (नादोऽभिधीयते).
Say it back
Say na (न), say da (द), and say the compound that is the cause: prāṇāgnisaṃyoga (प्राणाग्निसंयोग).