Saturday, September 4, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 4.24: Almost Doing a Dishonour?

vimaana-kalpe sa vimaana-garbhe
tatas tathaa c'aiva nananda nandaH
tathaagatash c' aagata-bhaikSha-kaalo
bhaikShaaya tasya pravivesha veshma

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4.24
While Nanda, in what almost amounted to a dishonour,

Was enjoying himself inside the palace in this manner,

The One Thus Come, come begging time,

Had entered his house for the purpose of begging.


COMMENT:
The first line, as I read it, is a pun on vimaana, whose meanings include (1) a failure to honour and (2) a palace.

EH Johnston:
While Nanda was thus taking his delight inside his palace which was like a palace of the gods, the Tathagata, Whose time for begging had come, entered his house in search of alms.

Linda Covill:
While Nanda was thus enjoying himself in his palace, which was like a celestial palace, the Tathagata, the realized one, entered his home for alms, since it was the time for his alms-round.

VOCABULARY:
vimaana-kalpe (loc. sg.): like a celestial palace / being almost devoid of honour (without showing much honour) / in almost doing a dishonour
vimaana:
1. mfn. (vi- √man) devoid of honour , disgraced ;
2. m. (vi- √maa) disrespect , dishonour ;
3. mfn. (vi- √man) measuring out , traversing ; m. n. a car or chariot of the gods, any mythical self-moving aerial car (sometimes serving as a seat or throne , sometimes self-moving and carrying its occupant through the air ; other descriptions make the vimaana more like a house or palace , and one kind is said to be 7 stories high ; m. a temple or shrine of a partic. form
vi-maanayati to dishonour , slight , treat with disrespect
kalpa: m. (ifc.) having the manner or form of anything , similar to , resembling , like but with a degree of inferiority , almost (e.g. abhedya-kalpa , almost impenetrable)
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
vimaana-garbhe (loc. sg.): in the womb of his palace
vimaana: palace etc.
garbha: m. the womb ; the inside , middle , interior of anything ; an inner apartment , sleeping-room ; any interior chamber , adytum or sanctuary of a temple &c

tataH: ind. then
tathaa: ind. thus
ca: and
eva: (emphatic)
nananda = 3rd pers. sg. perfect nand: to rejoice , delight , to be pleased or satisfied with
nandaH (nom. sg. m.): Nanda

tathaagata: m. the Tathagata, the One Thus Come, the Realised One
ca: and
agata-bhaikSha-kaalaH (nom. sg. m.): his time for begging having arrived
aagata: mfn. come, arrived
bhaikSha: n. asking alms , begging , mendicancy
kaala: time

bhaikShaaya = dat. sg. bhaikSha: n. asking alms , begging , mendicancy ; n. anything obtained by begging , begged food , charity , alms
tasya (gen. sg.): his
pravivesha = 3rd pers. sg. perfect pra- √ vish: to enter , go into
veshma = acc. sg. veshman: n. a house , dwelling , mansion , abode , apartment ; a palace

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