Sanskrut Kosh Sahitya Ko Acharya Hemchandra Ki Apurva Den

This document is a scholarly article by Nemichandra Shastri, titled "Sanskrit Kosh Sahitya ko Acharya Hemchandra ki Apurva Den" (Acharya Hemchandra's Unparalleled Contribution to Sanskrit Lexicographical Literature). It highlights the profound impact of Acharya Hemchandra, a twelfth-century scholar, on Sanskrit lexicography, particularly through his work Abhidhānacintāmaṇi.

Here's a comprehensive summary:

1. Tradition of Sanskrit Lexicographical Literature:

• The article begins by tracing the history of Sanskrit lexicography back to the Vedic period, mentioning Nighantu as an early example.
• It notes the existence of lost lexicons by authors like Bhāguri and Āpiśala, citing their mention in later commentaries.
• Mention is made of other early lexicographers like Śākaṭāyana, Vyāḍi, Kāvyāyana, Vācaspati, and Vikramāditya, whose works are known through references.
• The earliest extant and renowned lexicon is Amarakośa by Amarasiṃha, composed between 625-640 CE, which is a collection of synonyms categorized into three sections.
• Other significant lexicons discussed include Abhidhānarātamālā by Halāyudha (around 650 CE), Vaijayantī Kośa by Yadavaprakāśa, and the works of Dhananjaya (ninth century).
• The twelfth century is highlighted as a significant period for lexicography, with contributions from Keśavasvāmi, Maheśvara, Ābhayapāla, and Bhairava. It is in this century that Acharya Hemchandra composed his seminal works: Abhidhānacintāmaṇi, Anarthasaṅgraha, and Nighaṇṭuśeṣa.

2. Acharya Hemchandra's Significance and Historical Material:

• Hemchandra's Sanskrit lexicons are considered invaluable treasures of literature, containing significant information on language, science, history, culture, and literature.
• In his commentary on Abhidhānacintāmaṇi, Hemchandra himself refers to 56 preceding lexicographers and 31 earlier works, providing a valuable historical record. The article lists these authors and texts.
• When there are differences in the meaning of words, Hemchandra cites the verses of other authors, clarifying the discrepancies and providing extensive information about various works and their authors. This is crucial for understanding lost lexicographers like Bhāguri and Vyāḍi.

3. Compilation of New Words:

• Abhidhānacintāmaṇi contains numerous words not found in other lexicons.
• The article provides a comparison with Amarakośa to illustrate this point, noting that Amarakośa lists twelve synonyms for "beautiful," while Hemchandra lists twenty-six.
• Hemchandra even includes the deśī (regional) word "laḍaha" as a synonym for beauty.
• The article presents a table showing the increased number of synonyms for words like "sun," "ray," "moon," "Shiva," "Gauri," "Brahma," "Vishnu," and "Agni" in Hemchandra's work compared to Amarakośa.
• Beyond a greater number of synonyms, Hemchandra's lexicon includes novel words significant for culture and literature. Examples include:
  • 'grastam': for a word whose syllables or letters are lost or not fully pronounced.
  • 'ambūkṛtam': for a word uttered with saliva.
  • 'kalyā': for auspicious speech.
  • 'carcarī' and 'carimarī': for speech filled with joy or playfulness.
  • 'paribhāṣaṇa': for reproachful admonishment.
  • 'missaṭā' and 'dagdhikā': for burnt rice.
  • 'samitā': for wheat flour.
  • 'cikkasa': for barley flour.
• Anthropological insights: Hemchandra's detailed descriptions of various nose shapes (flat-nosed, pointed-nosed, small-nosed, large-nosed, high-nosed) demonstrate his extensive knowledge of anthropology. He describes types corresponding to Mongoloid, Caucasoid, African Negroid, Melanesian, and Polynesian races, highlighting the importance of nose and eye structure in racial classification.
• The article also lists terms for:
  • A woman without husband or son ('nirā').
  • A woman with facial hair ('narmālinī').
  • Different types of petticoats ('caṇḍātakama' and 'calanaka' for the wealthy, 'calatī' for ordinary women).
  • Blouses and their stitching styles.
  • Bedspreads ('nicola' for silk, 'pracchadapaṭa' for ordinary sheets, 'nicula' for fine silk bedspreads used by the wealthy, 'uttaracchada' for medium-quality sheets).
  • Garments like pajamas, coats, or burqas ('āpradīna').
  • Mesh fabrics ('śāṇī' and 'goṇī').
  • Socks ('anupadīnā').
  • Flower arrangements ('gulun̄cha' for a bouquet).

4. Linguistic Material:

• From a linguistic perspective, the lexicon is highly valuable, showing the influence of Prakrit, Apabhraṃśa, and other regional languages.
• Many words from the lexicon are still found in modern Indian languages.
• Some words illustrate linguistic principles like assimilation and dissimilation. The article provides examples such as:
  • 'polikā' (Gujarati: poṇī, Braj: ponī, Bhojpuri: piunī)
  • 'modako', 'laḍukaśca' (Hindi: laḍḍū, Gujarati: lāḍu, Rajasthani: lāḍū)
  • 'coṭī' (Hindi: coṭī, Gujarati: coṇī, Rajasthani: coṛī/cuṇikā, Bhojpuri: cuṭiyā)
  • 'kanduka', 'genduka' (Hindi: genda, Braj: ginda/ginda, Bhojpuri: ginda/genda)
  • 'heriko' (Braj: her/hernā, Gujarati: her)
  • 'taravāri' (Braj: taravār, Rajasthani/Eastern dialects: talavār, Gujarati: taravār)
  • 'jaṅgala' (Braj, Hindi, and all regional dialects: jaṅgal)
  • 'suraṅgā' (Braj, Hindi, Gujarati, and all Eastern dialects: suraṅg)
  • 'niśreṇī' (Braj: nasenī, Gujarati: nīśaraṇī, Bhojpuri: sīṛhī, Magahi: niseṇī, Pali: niseṇī)
  • 'cālanī' (Braj, Rajasthani, Gujarati: cālanī, Hindi: cālanī/channanī)
  • 'peṭā' (Rajasthani: peṭī, Gujarati: peṭī/peṭo, Braj: piṭārī/peṭī)
  • 'pariwāraḥ' (Hindi: parivār, Eastern dialects: parivār, Rajasthani: paḍivār/parivāḍ)

5. Etymological Peculiarities:

• The article highlights Hemchandra's insightful etymologies for various words, revealing subtle differences in meaning:
  • Mirror: He explains the etymology of mukur, ātmadarśa, ādarśa, and darpaṇa, emphasizing their distinct nuances based on their origin.
  • Stars: He provides nine names for stars and their etymologies, offering a unique perspective on terms like ṛkṣa, nakṣatra, and bha.
  • Vishnu: He lists 75 names of Vishnu and provides their etymologies, including terms like Viṣṇu, Hari, Hṛṣīkeśa, Kéśava, Upendra, Viśvakśena, Nārāyaṇa, Adhokṣaja, Govinda, Mukunda, Mādhava, Viśvambhara, Jina, Trivikrama, Jahnu, Vanamālī, and Puṇḍarīkākṣa. These etymologies offer historical and cultural insights.
  • Six Vedāngas (Ancillary studies of the Vedas): Hemchandra clearly and extensively defines Śikṣā (phonetics), Kalpa (rituals), Vyākaraṇa (grammar), Chandas (prosody), Jyotiṣa (astronomy), and Nirukta (etymology/glossary), explaining their significance and providing etymologies.
  • Other Scholarly Terms: He explains terms like Ānvīkṣikī (logic), Purāṇa (ancient texts), Ṭīkā (commentary), Pañjikā (gloss), Nibandha (treatise), and Prahelikā (riddle).
  • Personal Grooming and Adornment: He provides etymologies for terms related to hair arrangements (dhamilla, kavarī), gray hair (palita), the forehead (bhāla), lips (oṣṭha), language (bhāṣā), the sacred syllable 'Om' (avyaya), indecorousness (aślīla), sleep (nidrā), the wise (paṇḍita), cleverness (chēka, vidagdha), a woman (vāmā), a widow (vidhavā), curd (dadhi), a hut (uṭaja), and a dance instructor (pīṭhamardha).

6. Creation of Compound Synonyms:

• Following Dhananjaya's example, Hemchandra also established a system for creating compound synonyms.
• He focused on commonly used and accepted combinations in poetic tradition. For instance, by combining words for wife (e.g., kāntā, priyatamā, vadhū, praṇayinī, nibhā) with other terms, one could form names for wives. Similarly, combining terms for husband (e.g., vara, ramaṇa, praṇayī, priya) with wife-related terms forms husband names.
• He clarifies that while grammatical formation is possible, acceptance in poetic tradition is key. For example, "Śivakāntā" is accepted as a synonym for Gauri, but "Śivaparigraha" is not because it's not prevalent in poetic usage. Similarly, "Gaurīvara" is a synonym for Shiva, but "Gaṅgāvara" is not considered a synonym for Shiva due to lack of tradition, even though grammatically possible.

7. Jain Culture and Abhidhānacintāmaṇi:

• Abhidhānacintāmaṇi and Dhananjaya's Nāmamālā are rich in elements of Jain culture.
• Abhidhānacintāmaṇi details the lineage of Tirthankaras, their parents' names, attendant deities, followers, and their castes, along with periods of cosmic cycles (utśarpaṇa and avasarpaṇa).
• It includes synonyms for Kamadeva, twelve Chakravartins, nine Nārāyaṇas, and nine Pratinārāyaṇas.
• Synonyms for Shrenik and Kumarpal are also present, with eight names for Kumarpal listed: Chalukya, Rājarṣi, Paramarhat, Mṛtasyabhoktā, Dharmātmā, Mārivārak, Vyasanavārak, and Kumarpal.
• The lexicon categorizes and lists synonyms for elemental beings (earth-bodied, water-bodied, fire-bodied, air-bodied, and plant-bodied) and beings with two, three, four, and five senses according to Jain scriptures.
• It describes the seven hells (Ratnaprabhā, Sharkarāprabhā, Vālukāprabhā, Paṅkaprabhā, Dhūmaprabhā, Tamahprabhā, and Mahātamaḥprabhā), the sufferings within them, and the nature of their "holes" (vilā), all according to Jain doctrine. It also discusses the atmospheric layers of dense water, dense air, and thin air.
• The section on the "First Devotion" (Prathama Devādhideo chapter) discusses the miracles of Tirthankaras, and the etymologies of Acharyas, Upadhyāyas, and Munis. It then delves into the eight limbs of Yoga: Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Pratyāhāra, Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, and Samādhi, defining them according to Jain scriptures.
• The "Deva Chapter" covers the subdivisions and synonyms of Bhavanvāsī, Vyantar, Jyotiṣka, and Kalpavāsī deities.
• The article explains the term "Kumāra" used for Bhavanvāsī deities, describing them as beautiful, delicate, graceful, charming, and even haughty in their attire, speech, ornaments, weapons, vehicles, and playful activities, hence the name Kumāra.
• It provides details on the celestial abodes of these deities, including the dimensions of the hellish realm Ratnaprabhā, and the locations of Vyantar, Jyotiṣka, and Vaimānika deities in the cosmos.
• Hemchandra emphasizes Jain ethical practices, discussing terms like aṇuvrata (minor vows), mahāvrata (major vows), daśadharma (ten virtues), meditation (dhyāna), and ethical conduct (samiti, gupti).
• He lists two names for a water strainer: naktaka and karpaṭa, providing their etymologies and usage.

8. Conclusion:

• Acharya Hemchandra's Abhidhānacintāmaṇi is an unparalleled gift to Sanskrit lexicographical literature, holding unique importance in terms of culture, literature, linguistics, and the compilation of new vocabulary.
• The lexicon indicates the extensive use of vocabulary and showcases Hemchandra's extraordinary talent in enriching it.
• The work provides comprehensive knowledge of words, offering ample material for at least two or three research dissertations from various perspectives.
• The article concludes by praising Acharya Hemchandra for his profound, insightful scholarship and extensive knowledge, evident in this remarkable contribution to Sanskrit lexicography.