[INDOLOGY] A distraction from the Coronavirus

[Walter Slaje]

On this occasion, let me cite a few examples for *padma* as used in the
masculine gender by outstanding classical Kavis in addition to those
already quoted by Dr. Steiner:



In his *Harṣacarita* (Ed. Kane, 1918), for instance, Bāṇa seems to use
exclusively the masculine gender for *padma* (no trace of usage in the
neuter). This is all the more remarkable as Bāṇa writes in prose. One can
therefore not invoke the metre as a possible cause:



tac chrutvā bāṇasya *catvāraḥ* pitāmahamukha*padmā* iva […]

(HC III p. 39,29)



atha […] dvijavarasvecchāgṛhītakoṣo nābhi*padma* iva […]

(HC IV, p. 56,6)



āśliṣyāsya sakaladurmadamahīpālamaulimālālālitau pāda*padmāv* […]

(HC V, p. 86,24)



lilekha maṇikuṭṭimam itaraḥ pāda*padmaḥ*

(HC VI, p. 96,23)



Moreover,

Śrīharṣa (*Naiṣadhacarita*):

[…] sa cen mukham *ayaṃ padmaḥ* priye tāvakam [22.140]





Or, Maṅkhakavi (*Śrīkaṇṭhacarita*):

[…] *padmaḥ sa* vaḥ padmabhuvaḥ punātu । *yaḥ* […] ॥ 1.22. ॥

Explanation by Kavi Jonarāja: *yaḥ padma *[…] *sa padmo* vaḥ punātu


Their usage is fully in line with the grammatical genders of padma (m., n.)
as given in the major Sanskrit dictionaries (pw, MW, Apte).



It is however a bit unfortunate that the Rigveda is unaware of the word
*padma*, which has become so common in later literature. We have no idea
what gender the rigvedic kavis would have assigned to padma, had it been
part of their vocabulary and poetic imagination.


Regards,

WS


Am Mo., 6. Apr. 2020 um 08:40 Uhr schrieb Christian Ferstl via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info>:

> Übung macht den Meister - so let my try again:
>
> मानवरोगसंचारवर्जनार्थं स बुद्धिमान् ।
> रामो लाङ्गूलिनं ह्येव किं नु लङ्कामचारयत् ॥
>
> Did Rama the wise send none other than a monkey to Lanka
> in order to avoid transmission of a human disease?
>
> (Please note that I do not consider myself a paṇḍit or a kavi but rather
> a humble student of Sanskrit language and literature. I very much
> appreciate your patience with my sometimes faulty compositions as well
> as your improvements and the interesting discussions triggered by them.)
>
>
> Christian Ferstl
>
>
> Am 05.04.2020 15:34, schrieb Madhav Deshpande via INDOLOGY:
> > A distraction from the Coronavirus
> >
> > कोरोनाभयभीतोऽसौ
> > चिन्ताक्रान्तो दशानन: ।
> >
> > मुक्त्वा स जानकीं सद्यो
> > राघवं शरणं ययौ ।।
> >
> > Scared of the danger of the Coronavirus, overcome by worry, Ravana
> > freed Sita and quickly took refuge with Lord Rama.
> >
> > 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]
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