Lesson 37

Simple Sanskrit – Lesson 37

सरलं संस्कृतम् – सप्तत्रिंशत्तमः (३७) पाठः |

It is possibly time to indulge in practising what Sanskrit is learnt so far.

In a Sanskrit-study-circle, I raised a point of putting in Sanskrit a simple statement such as “(Please) keep or leave your footwear here”. In Hindu temples it is a code of practice not to enter the temple with footwear on. So there will often be signage about this.

1. One member of our study-circle promptly responded suggesting पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थापयितव्यानि |
2. Instead of तव्यत्-प्रत्यय one could use अनीयर्-प्रत्यय So, पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थापनीयानि |
3. But then why तव्यत् of the causative (णिच्) ? Why not पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थातव्यानि | तव्यत्-प्रत्यय has passive voice inherent.
4. In my own mind I was churning up पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थापयन्तु | to use a verb-form क्रियापदम् instead of a verbal derivative कृदन्तम् |
5. With subject in second person plural (यूयम्), it would be पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थापयत |
6. Instead of लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ) one may use विधिलिङ् and second person plural (यूयम्) So, पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थापयेत |
7. Rather, with respectful second person plural (भवन्तः), पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थापयेयुः |
8. Since causative of स्था is उभयपदी (स्थापयति-ते) sentences 4, 5, 6, 7 can as well be with आत्मनेपदम् So, पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थापयन्ताम् | by लोट्-लकारे (आज्ञार्थे) प्रथमपुरुषे बहुवचनम्
9. पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थापयध्वम् | लोट्-लकारे (आज्ञार्थे) मध्यमपुरुषे बहुवचनम्
10. पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थापयेरन् | विधिलिङ्-लकारे (विध्यर्थे) प्रथमपुरुषे बहुवचनम्
11. पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थापयेध्वम् | विधिलिङ्-लकारे (विध्यर्थे) मध्यमपुरुषे बहुवचनम्
12. Then I thought, by using passive voice one can say पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थीयन्ते |
13. or in active voice पादत्राणानि अत्र तिष्ठन्ति |
14. There can be passive voice of the causative पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थाप्यन्ते |
15. One may as well use future tense लृट्-लकारे “footwear will stay here” पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थास्यन्ति |
16. धातु स्था can be also आत्मनेपदी in future tense. So पादत्राणानि अत्र स्थास्यन्ते |
17. One often uses the infinitive ‘to stay’ (footwear to stay here). In Sanskrit one uses तुमन्तम् So पादत्राणानि स्थातुम् |
18. The place to keep the footwear can have a signage पादत्राणान्यत्र or simply पादत्राणानि
19. To speak of the limit beyond which footwear are not to be worn, one could say इतोऽग्रे पादत्राणानि निषिद्धानि | or simply इतोऽग्रे पादत्राणानि न |
20. In places, where there is a large and continuous stream of visitors, they have facilities and systems provided to leave footwear which can have a board पादत्राणरक्षणव्यवस्था or simply पादत्राणव्यवस्था |
21. For people coming in groups, there is facility also for bags. The place where bags are kept, can be denoted by स्यूताः
22. It is important to take the token. So द्योतकम् अवश्यं प्राप्नुवन्तु | or द्योतकम् अवश्यं प्रापणीयम् |
23. Actually to collect footwear back, token is essential प्रतिग्रहणाय द्योतकम् आवश्यकम् |

Any more ideas, thoughts, suggestions ? I guess, there can be many more !

A farmer just plants a seed. The plant sprouts up with hundreds and thousands of grains ! Saint Tularam said just that एका बीजापोटी | फळे रसाळ गोमटी | One seed gets you enticing juicy fruits (and so many of them) ! Industrial production can never match productivity of Nature !!

I just planted a seed “to put in Sanskrit a simple statement such “Please keep or leave your footwear here”. And lo ! Haven’t I surprised myself ?!!

एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति |

Truth is one. Those who know put it differently (in their own style) !

Certainly Sanskrit provides number of ‘styles’ – to each his own !

That is possibly the logic behind 330 million देवता-s also !

शुभं भवतु |

-o-O-o-

 Ms. Vasantha Syamalam sent this comment –

सामान्यतः ‘पादत्राणानि अत्र विहाय गच्छन्तु इति ‘ भवेत्। परन्तु
एकस्मिन् मन्दिरे मया दृष्टं यत् – अत्र भवन्तः ‘अहङ्कारं त्यक्तवा (ईश्वरदर्शनार्थं) गच्छन्तु।’ – इति लिखितम्। नूतनमस्ति खलु?

Transgressing the convention of not wearing footwear is like carrying one’s ego into the precincts of a temple.

But not to wear footwear is not a mandate for churches. Maybe, because in places of cold climate, one cannot move about without footwear, certainly not in old times when there was no central heating in churches.

I have been noticing some Muslims washing their feet clean before going into a prayer-room. I don’t think there is any such mandate in Islam, especially in places where, at least in old times, even water for drinking was itself not available, let alone for washing feet every time, when going to a mosque or prayer room.