dehāgni technical_term

9 TRANSLATION The letter 'na' is spoken of as prana (air) and the letter 'da' is known as fire; this is spoken of by me as the meaning of the dual¹⁵ verbal component (pada) of nāda.(20) This (word) nāda is (derived) from the dhātu (root) nadati (to make inarticulate sound) and it is fivefold viz. sūksma 16 (subtle), atisūksma (very subtle), vyakta (distinct) avyakta (indistinct) and kṛtrima (artificial). (21) The sūksma (subtle) nāda dwells in the guhā 17 (lit. cave, secret place) the atisūksma (very subtle) one in the heart, the distinct one in the throat, the indistinct one in the tālu (lit. palate, but here cerebrum) and the artificial one in the region of the mouth; thus should the fivefold (nāda) be known by the wise. (22, 23ab) Thus I have spoken about the beautiful origin of nāda. (23 cd) Thus ends the origin of nada. III (The section on sruti) [The definition of fruti and its numeration] Now I shall speak of the ascertainment of śrutis; from the root 'śru' meaning hearing, with the suffix 'ktin'; the word 'sruti' should be formed (grammatically) by those who are knowledgeable in the 'word' (grammar), (this is) sādhana (formation) according to 'karman'ı (object). (24) (Anu. 1) That which is heard (is known as) śruti. That is one or many. Out of (these two possibilities, the first one) is that śruti is only one. That is (explained) thus — there? in the beginning on account of the combination of the dehāgni (lit. bodily fire, battery of energy) and air, the sound propelled by the effort of the puruşa s (ātman), attacking the ākāśā (space) above the navel, ascending in many ways, in steps of a ladder like smoke, according to the will of the air, appears to be different by way of being composed of four śrutis etc. through being comprised of the inherent pratyaya (assured consciousness) of filling up (with air). This is my opinion.

155 VIMARŠA 3. The instrument of the navel, heart, throat, Reaching the mouth cerebrum and the cavity process of hearing in the cavity, the air manifests speaker himself has of the mouth. the varnas. been explained as being comprised of the consciousness of the filling of the different points in the vocal organism (with air). Thus one and the same sound appears to be different. The following apparent differences are obvious in the above chart - (a) 'Atman' is used in Pā Ši and SR, but BrD uses the word puruşa. (b) In Pā Śi and SR the first step starts with the will of the ātman, but in BrD the combination of 'fire' and 'air' is spoken of as the first step, without the mention of any activating agent. The purusa is mentioned in the second stage as the agent in propelling the air upwards. (c) In Pā Ši, buddhi (intellect) is mentioned as an agent in the 'gathering' of the content of speech. This is absent in BrD and SR; the reason could perhaps be that in musical sound the differentiation of the form and content ( meaning ) of sound is not pertinent. (d) In BrD mind has not been mentioned at all. The mention of pratyaya (assured consciousness), however, does bring in the mind, but it is related to the process of hearing in the speaker ( see note 3 on puruşa ). 3. Puruşa is a very important word in Indian philosophy; it has a double derivation viz. 'one who sleeps in the pura, castle or city and one who fills'. The primordial being in the form of 'Man' is the primary meaning of this word. The use of this word in our text seems to be inspired by Ayurveda - बुद्धीन्द्रियाणि मनोऽर्धा एवा योगधर परम् । (Car Sam śanrasthana I, 35) चतुर्विंगतिको होष राशि पुरुषसज्ञकः ॥ 'Puruşa' is the name of the collection of twentyfour ( elements ) viz. buddhi ( sixfold perception as associated with the five sense-organs and mind ), the ten indriyas (viz. five sensory and five motor organs), mind, the six objects of perception and the ultimate repository of the above twenty-three elements (i.e. ātman ). Thus when purusa is said to impel the air in the vocal 'path', the separate mention of mind may not be held to be essential. The only thing that still poses a slight deviation of our text from the accepted tradition is that the combination of 'fire' and 'air' has been mentioned here in the beginning without any reference to an impelling agent. 4. This passage ascribed to Viśvāvasu has attracted the attention of later authors. For example, antara-śruti has been interpreted by Kallinātha (Kalā on SRI, 3.10-16) as the śrutis situated in vikṛta svaras which term is coventionally accepted for antara (gāndhāra) and kākalī (niṣāda).