[Advaita-l] Vishva-mitra and not Vishvaa-mitra

[S Jayanarayanan]

The file at http://www.advaitin.com/Soundaryalahari2.pdf has a
commentary by the late Kanchi pontiff on the Soundaryalahari.
Specifically on verse 44, we find:

"The word sImantaM is a union of 'sImA' and 'antaM'. SImA means
boundary, here, the boundary that parts the two sides of the
hair. Its 'antam' is the end of that boundary. Technically it
should have been 'sImAntaM' but the middle long 'A' has been
shortened. This is actually an exception to the usual
grammatical rule. A similar exception, but in the opposite
direction, takes place in the name 'VishvAmitra' where it should
have been only 'Vishvamitra', thus meaning, friend of the world.
On the other hand as 'VishvAmitra' ('Vishva' + 'amitra') it now
means 'the enemy of the world'. Again this is an unusual
grammatical exception."

-Kartik

--- "Subrahmanian,  Sundararaman V [FI]"
<sundararaman.v.subrahmanian at citigroup.com> wrote:

> True.  For example, how does padma + vatI become padmAvatI it
> should be padmavatI.  So also there are some exceptions where
> the "a" elongates.  Another example is puShpAvatI.  I am not
> sure if it happens only with "matup" (vatup here) possessive
> endings.  The exceptions (apavAdAH) are listed in one of
> Panini's sutras.  I can get the number if you are serious
> about it.  Otherwise, the below explanation from ProfVK should
> be sufficient to get you going.
> 
> Regards,
> SVS
> 
> ===
> 
> From: V. Krishnamurthy (view other messages by this author) 
> Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 05:51:14 
> 
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Namaste
> This is in reply to Praveen Bhatt's question.
> I have read in one of Kanchi Mahaswamigal's lectures that
> it is only Vishva-mitra; but by a peculiar freak of
> grammatical exception it has become Vishvaamitra.  In fact,
> he gives in that lecture a few more examples of such
> grammatical freaks, but I don't remember it now.
> 
> PraNAms to all seekers of Truth.
> profvk
> 
> 
> SVS
> 
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