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5/20/12

Lesson 33

Beginning Prayers:
  • शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
  • सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
  • गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 
Topic Summary:
  • Revision of different cases 
  • Example of dvivachana (dual number)
Home Work:
  • Learn by heart, the entire raama shabda
  • Try to write the entire shabda for a different masculine gender noun
Topic Details:
We have seen the nouns in all different cases.  Now, let us see an example for dual number with a verse.

स्वयं पञ्चमुखः पुत्रौ गजाननषडाननौ
दिगम्बरः कथं जीवेत् अन्नपूर्णा न चेद्गृहे

svayaM pa~nchamukhaH putrau gajaananaShaDaananau
digambaraH kathaM jIvet annapUrNaa na chedgRuhe

स्वयं पञ्चमुखः पुत्रौ गजानन-षडाननौ
svayaM pa~nchamukhaH putrau gajaanana-ShaDaananau

दिगम्बरः कथं जीवेत् अन्नपूर्णा न चेत् गृहे
digambaraH kathaM jIvet annapUrNaa na chet gRuhe

He himself has 5 faces, children are 'elephant faced' (gajaanana - gaNesha) and '6 faced' (ShaDaanana - ShaNmukha). How would Lord shiva survive if mother annapUrNaa was not at home?

This is a not only a beautiful and humorous verse, but it upholds and epitomizes the role of a mother in the family!

Lord shiva has 5 faces himself. Among the 2 sons he has, one is elephant faced and the other has 6 faces! Just imagine a dad feeding all these many mouths! The poet says, it is not possible for a dad, even if he is a God :-) Such is the role of a mother! She is the 'one & only 'and is hence irreplaceable!! She toils tirelessly day in and day out, putting her likes and dislikes aside, setting her family as her highest priority. Whether she gets any credit or not, she does her duties constantly. The only remuneration she expects is, for her family to fare well! Her dedication and sincerity towards her family is unmatched. No words are enough to say about her semblance and presence, in making a home.

Mothers hold the hands of their children for a short time, but their hearts forever!

The sweetest sounds to mortals given, are heard in mother, home and heaven!

Heart felt thanks and hats off to all the hard-working mothers, not just on one day, but through out the year, for eons to come!

P.S.: (According to one tradition, it conceives shiva as Ishaana (or as panchavaktramatrinetram), that is, shiva combines in him tatpuruSha, vaamadeva, aghora, sadyojaata and Ishaana, representing respectively wind, water, fire, creative function and space. Thus again shiva's five heads manifest the five cosmic elements and functions.)

Happy practicing until next lesson.

Ending prayer:
  •  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
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5/6/12

Lesson 32

Beginning Prayers:
  • शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
  • सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
  • गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 
Topic Summary:
  • Feminine word forms in 5th case
  • Revision of all the cases in masculine gender with examples
Home Work:
  • Practice writing 10 masculine gender words along with learning their meanings
  • Learn by heart, the raama shabda till the 3rd case (inclusive of the vocative after the 1st case)
Topic Details:
In the previous lesson, we have seen the 5th case in masculine and neuter genders.  In the feminine gender 5th case (ablative), the words take the form as below.

लता -> लतायाः
सीता -> सीतायाः
गीता -> गीतायाः
राधा -> राधायाः
कन्या -> कन्यायाः
सेविका -> सेविकायाः

lataa -> lataayaaH
sItaa -> sItaayaaH
gItaa -> gItaayaaH
raadhaa -> raadhaayaaH
kanyaa -> kanyaayaaH
sevikaa -> sevikaayaaH

Now that all the cases have been dealt with and their usages learnt, it is a good time to assimilate the learning, along with the word forms and meanings.  Let's see a few different masculine gender words in all the different cases -

1st case: राम -> रामः
sambodhanaa 1st case: कृष्ण -> हे कृष्ण
2nd case: देव -> देवम्
3rd case: गज -> गजेन
4th case: अज -> अजाय
5th case: वानर -> वानरात्
6th case: सिंह -> सिंहस्य
7th case: मर्कट -> मर्कटे

1st case: raama -> raamaH
sambodhanaa 1st case: kRuShNa -> he kRuShNa
2nd case: deva -> devam
3rd case: gaja -> gajena
4th case: aja -> ajaaya
5th case: vaanara -> vaanaraat
6th case: siMha -> siMhasya
7th case: markaTa -> markaTe

Practice writing the meanings of these example words in the given cases.

Until next lesson, happy practicing!

Ending prayer:
  •  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
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