Ramayana

[Som Dev Vasudeva]

It is noteworthy that most Sanskrit commentators on the Rāmāyaṇa do not analyse the title according to what might at first appear to be the most straightforward interpretation: a vṛddhi derivation of Rāma, meaning “concering Rāma.” Instead they take the title to be a ṣaṣṭhītatpuruṣa compound formed from Rāma + ayana , “the deeds/adventures/path of Rāma” (rāmasya ayanam). The perceived advantage of this interpretation might be that it clarifies that the work is primarily about Rāma’s deeds, and less just a work vaguely related to Rāma (or even composed by Rāma). The retroflexion of the “na” in the second member (uttarapada) of the compound, even though the “ra” occurs in the first member, takes place because of Pāṇini 8.4.3 (pūrvapadāt saṃjñāyām agaḥ) since the compound denotes a proper name and a “ga” does not intervene; compare with śūrpaṆakhā, kharaṆasaḥ, but ṛgayaNam (a “ga” intervenes). For a discussion of these examples (at least the spelling of the well-known demoness Śūrpaṇakhā, the sister of Rāvaṇa, should be familiar) and more see the Kāśikā and Siddhāntakaumudī commentaries to Pāṇini 8.4.3 (pūrvapadasthān nimittāt parasya nasya ṇaḥ syāt saṃjñāyāṃ na tu gakāravyavadhāne/ drur iva nāsikā yasya druṇasaḥ / kharaṇasaḥ / agaḥ kim? ṛcām ayanam ṛgayanam/ etc.) 

The whole grammatical derivation of this interpretation of the title Rāmāyaṇa is spelled out in the Amṛtakataka commentary to Rāmāyaṇa 1.99 as follows: 

rāmāyaṇam iti / ayagatau “bhāve lyuṭ” (cf. Pāṇini 3.3.115: lyuṭ ca) / ayanaṃ = caritam / rāmasya + ayanaṃ rāmāyaṇaṃ “pūrvapadāt saṃjñāyām” (Pāṇini 8.4.3) iti ṇatvam /

Other commentators give similar and other (bahuvrīhi) compound analyses:

Maheśvaratīrthaḥ: rāmo ’yanaṃ pratipādyo yasya tad rāmāyaṇam / 

Govindarājaḥ: rāmasya + ayanaṃ = rāmāyaṇaṃ, rāmacaritam ityarthaḥ / rāmo ’yyate prāpyate ’neneti vā rāmāyaṇam / rāmo ’yanaṃ pratipādyo yasyeti vā rāmāyaṇam /

Tilakaḥ: rāmo ’yanaṃ pratipādyo yasya tad rāmāyaṇam /

Śiromaṇiḥ: rāmāyaṇaṃ rāmapratipādakaṃ rāmaprāpakaṃ vā /

K.S. Varadacharya’s Prastāvanā to his edition of the Bālakāṇḍa (Mysore 1958): rāmāyaṇapadaṃ ca “rāmasya+ayanam” iti vyutpattisiddham / atra saṃjñāyāṃ ṇatvavidhānena rāmāyaṇapadasya saṃjñātve ’pi yaugikārtho na parityaktuṃ śakyaḥ; nārāyaṇādiśabdavat / na hīdaṃ padaṃ ḍitthādipadavat kevalarūḍhaṃ kiṃ tu yogarūḍham / evaṃ ca kāvyasya rāmacaritam eva viṣaya ity etannāmnā spaṣṭam avagamyate /

Further interpretations can be found by looking up the commentaries to verses 1.99 (etad ākhyānam āyuṣyaṃ paṭhan rāmāyaṇaṃ naraḥ) and 4.7 (kāvyaṃ rāmāyaṇaṃ kṛtsnaṃ) of the Rāmāyaṇa’s Bālakāṇḍaḥ.

Biblio: ŚrīmadVālmīkiRāmāyaṇa with Amṛtakataka of Mādhavayogī (Vol. 1—Kālakāṇḍa), ed. K.S. Varadachari, Oriental Research Institute, University of Mysore, 1960.
On May 25, 2012, at 12:38 PM, Harsha Dehejia wrote:

> Friends~
>  
> What is the meanog of the word 'ayana' as in Ramayana?
>  
> The dicitonary defines ayana as: disposition, character etc.
>  
> Does this meaning apply to Ramayana namely the character of Rama?
>  
> Kind regards.
>  
> Harsha 
> Prof. Harsha V. Dehejia
> 
> 



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