Ref. check verse 6.41 Bhagavad Gita

[Charles Wikner]

On Thu, 04 Mar 1999, John Smith <jds10 at CUS.CAM.AC.UK> wrote:

> An optional sandhi for final -n before initial l- is simply to write the
> -n as an anusvara.

Is there authortity for that?  I had assumed that the use
of anusvAra here was due to ignorance or font limitations.
Other applications of torli (P.8.4.60) occur in gItA:

      18:17    imAn lokAn -->    imAMllokAn
      18:71  SubhAn lokAn -->  SubhAMllokAn

where Ml represents a nasalized-l  (in nAgarI, candrabindu
above first "l" not previous syllable as often printed).

> It seems fairly clear that the phrases in question
> are, in pre-sandhi form, sukRtAm lokAn and puNyakRtAm lokAn "the worlds of
> the doers of what is good" (i.e. "the heavenly realms"). The alternative
> interpretation (su/puNya-kRtAn lokAn) simply makes no sense: "the
> well/virtuously made worlds".
>
> Whether the confusion is scribal, editorial, or a mixture of both I am
> unsure, but at some stage the final anusvara has come to be taken as
> representing -n not -m, and the spelling adjusted accordingly. If the
> phrases were used in any other case than the accusative plural this would
> phrases were used in any other case than the accusative plural this would
> presumably not have happened (or would the scribes/editors have emended
> *puNyakRtAM lokAH to *puNyakRtA lokAH?).

Translations to hand take puNyakRtAm as genitive plural of
puNyakRt: worlds of the meritorious (=merit-performers), but
I see no objection to taking puNyakRtAn as accusative plural
of bahuvrIhi puNyakRta: worlds prepared for the meritorious/
created by merit (as dvaita/advaita interpretations).

Regards, Charles.