[INDOLOGY] 'catching the ocean in a cow's hoofprint'

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Probably based on the story of Agastya drinking up the ocean, there is a
proverb in Telugu that means 'taking in the ocean for a sip in a palm.'

It is used in a similar context of taking control of vast knowledge.

On Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 12:56 AM Christoph Emmrich via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

> Dear Antonia,
>
>
> Not Pāṇini-specific, but maybe still of interest to you is the appearance
> of the combination of the ocean and the cow's hoof print in the version
> of global warming found in Aṅguttara Nikāya IV 100–106. There, during
> pralaya, after the plants have died and the rivers have run dry, the
> ocean sinks to ever lower levels, from the depth of a yojana down to that
> of the amount of water found in a cow's hoof print: seyyathā pi bhikkhave
> saradasamaye thullaphusitake deve vassante tattha tattha gopadesu udakāni
> ṭhitāni honti, evam eva kho bhikkhave tattha tattha gopadamattāni
> mahāsamudde udakāni ṭhitāni honti (AN IV 102,6-9).
>
> Warmly,
> Christoph
>
> ----
>
>
>
> Christoph Emmrich
>
> Associate Professor, Buddhist Studies
> General Secretary, IABS
>
> Director, Centre for South Asian Studies
>
> at the Asian Institute, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
>
> Chair, Numata Program UofT/McMaster
>
> University of Toronto
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> on behalf of
> Madhav Deshpande via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
> *Sent:* December 23, 2019 11:43:06 AM
> *To:* Antonia Ruppel <rhododaktylos at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* Indology <indology at list.indology.info>
> *Subject:* Re: [INDOLOGY] 'catching the ocean in a cow's hoofprint'
>
> Dear Antonia,
>
>      There is a traditional verse that says that the words used by Vyāsa
> were from the Ocean of Grammar composed by Mahendra.  Those jewels of words
> cannot be found in Pāṇini's grammar which is like a Cow's Hoofprint.  This
> is to say that the so-called ārṣa usages in the Purāṇas are not
> ungrammatical, though they may not fit the [limited] grammar of Pāṇini.
>
> यान्युज्जहार माहेन्द्राद् व्यासो व्याकरणार्णवात् । पदरत्नानि किं तानि
> सन्ति पाणिनिगोष्पदे ।।
>
>     This verse [according to secondary references] is found in Devabodha's
> commentary on the Mahabharata.
>
> Madhav M. Deshpande
> Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics
> University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
> Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies
>
> [Residence: Campbell, California, USA]
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 23, 2019 at 8:12 AM Antonia Ruppel via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Dear all,
>
> In the BBC radio series 'Incarnations', the episode on Pāṇini is entitled
> 'Catching the Ocean in a Cow's Hoofprint', which it says is a description
> of what Pāṇini's work achieved.
>
> Can anyone tell me what the source of this expression specifically in
> reference to Pāṇini is? Textual/online searches for goṣpada- have not led
> me very far - but maybe I've been looking for the wrong word?
>
> (In case anyone doesn't know 'Incarnations' and wants to listen to any of
> the episodes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05rptbv/episodes/downloads
> )
>
> Many thanks and all the best,
>      Antonia
>
> —
> Dr Antonia Ruppel
> University of Oxford
>
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