Avyayas or Indeclinables

Amarakośa dedicates an exclusive section on indeclinables called the Avyaya varga III. 4, elucidating their synonyms. These indeclinables are illustrated by Kṣīrasvāmin adding a few more indeclinables.

Such additions alone are listed below along with their examples for a handy reference.

(1-a) Srāk (III. 4. 2; p. 337)–

[Soon or instantly:]

Kṣīrasvāmin adds that tūrṇam drutam kṣipraṃ śīghram, laghu signifying instantly or quickly are adverbs–

tūrṇaṃ drutaṃ kṣipraṃ śīghraṃ laghviti kriyāviśeṣaṇam |

(1-b) Divā (III. 4. 6; p. 338)–

[Day:]

Amarakośa states that the words divā and ahni, doṣā and naktam are used in the sense day and night -divā'hnītyatha doṣā ca naktaṃ ca rajanāviti | Kṣīrasvāmin remarks that the use of the word iti suggests that the meaning of the above words denote locative case–divātanaṃ iti śabdena saptamyante dinārthe'yamiti dyotyate | naktaṃcaraḥ |

(1-c) Tūṣṇīm (III.4.9; p.339)–

[Silence:]

Amarakośa mentions tūṣṇīm and tūṣṇīkām in the sense of silence. Kṣīrasvāmin differentiates between the two words suggesting that the latter word tūṣṇīkām is resorting to silence for specific reason or to veil ignorance—

Amarakośa—?[C]prakaraṇe tūṣṇīmaḥ ityajñātādyarthe viśiṣṭe maune tūṣṇīkām maunamātre tūṣṇīm |

Other indeclinables and their synpnoyms with illustrations are presented in the table below:

Word	Meaning	Amarakośa III.4.v	Kṣīrasvāmin’s additions	Kṣīrasvāmin’s illustrations
cirāya	Long time	1; p.337	cireṇa, cirāt, ciraṃ	ciraṃjīvī ciraṃtanaḥ |
sārdhaṃ	Along with	4; p.338	sajūḥ[1]	saṅgo dvijihvaiḥ sajūḥ |
pyāṭ	Vocative particles	7: p.338	haṃho, ārara, ?[e] āyi	haṃho kāma | re cora | āre ceṭa | āyi priye |
etarhi	Now	23; p.342	ādhunā, idānīṃ

Apart from this, the last few verses Amarakośa, III. 3. 239-257 deal with avyayas in the Nānārtha varga. Kṣīrasvāmin has included some of the indeclinables in the Nānārtha varga because they have many meanings–

ātha ūrdhvamavyayavargo vakṣyate tataḥ prastāvānnānārthāvyayavargastāvat |

Amarakośa lists in this section the indeclinables and the various meanings represented by them. Kṣīrasvāmin, the grammarian commentator cites example for every meaning represented by the indeclinable and adds the meaning if not mentioned by Amarakośa Special examples of interest and the extra meanings added by Kṣīrasvāmin in this particular section are presented here.

(2-a) Āṅ (III. 3. 239; p. 330)–

Little, limit, boundary, preposition: Kṣīrasvāmin explains that the homonymous indeclinable ‘āṅ’ in the meaning of preposition (dhātuyogaje) is suggestive.

Further he remarks that ‘āṅ’ is an avyaya as well as an upasarga like the khura-nakha-nyāya—

dhātuyogaje dhātvarthena kriyayāyogaje saṃbandhotthe dyotakatve yathā-ārohati | upasargo'pi khuranakhanyāyenātroktaḥ |

(2-b) Ā (III. 3. 240; p. 331):

In the Nānārtha-avyaya section Amarakośa mentions one of the meaning of 'ā' as the pragṛhya saṃjñā.

Kṣīrasvāmin explains the pragṛhya saṃjñā quoting the relevant Paninian rule and its utility that no sandhi is effected for a word with pragṛhya saṃjñā.—

nipāta ekācānāṅ (Pā. 1.1.14) iti pragṛhyatvāt plutapragṛhyā ācīti (Pā. 6.1.135) prakṛti bhāvaḥ |

Kṣīrasvāmin quotes a popular verse from an unknown source which differentiates the Āṅ and Ā (found in Siddhānta kaumudi)—

yadāhuḥ—īṣadarthe kriyāyoge maryādābhividhau ca yaḥ | evamātaṃ ṅitaṃ vidyādvākyasmaraṇayoraṅit |

(2-c) Ca (III. 3. 241; p. 331)–

Amarakośa mentions that anvācaya is one of the meanings in which the indeclinable ‘ca’ is used.

Kṣīrasvāmin explains the sense of anvācaya that it is to accomplish the secondary action in the process of acomplishing the primary act as for example, the act of bhikṣā is the primary act while in the process, the bringing of the cow is secondary–

ānvācaya mukhyasiddhāvapradhānaniṣpattiḥ yathā—bhikṣāmaṭa gāṃ cānaya |

Amarakośa mentions anvācaya, samāhāra, itaretara and samuccaya as the four meanings denoted by ca.

Kṣīrasvāmin adds three more meanings in which the indeclinable is used and illustrates them respectively–

viniyoga-tulyayogitāhetuṣu ca | viniyoge—āhaṃ ca tvaṃ ca vṛtrahan saṃyujyāva sanibhya ā (Ṛg Veda–VIII. 62.11) tulyayogitāyāṃ—dhyātaścopāsitaśca | hetau grāmaśca gantavyaḥ śītaṃ ca śītāt kathaṃ gamyata ityarthaḥ |

(2-d) Svasti (III. 3.241; p. 331):

Kṣīrasvāmin adds that by the word ādi, maṅgalya is also denoted and cites the example from Mudrārākṣasa (V. 1)–

ādiśabdānmāṅgalyādau—māṅgalye—svasti śrīkusumapurāt |

(2-e) Uta (III. 3.243; p. 332):

Amarakośa^[2] mentions that the word is used in the sense of api and vikalpa.

Kṣīrasvāmin explains that api signifies samuccaya and praśna and adds vitarka citing relevant examples–

āpyarthaḥ samuccayapraśnau | yathā—uta bhīma utārjunaḥ | praśne—uta daṇḍaḥ patiṣyati | vikalpe uta parvataṃ bhindyāt-uta truṭyedva?[¿]ḥ |vitarke'pi-sthaṇuruta puruṣaḥ |

(2-f) Śaśvat (III. 3.243; p. 332)

Amarakośa mentions that the word is employed in the meaning of punaḥ (again) and saha (along with) Kṣīrasvāmin adds that the word is also used in the sense of nitya (eternal)–

nitye'pi-śāśvataṃ vairaṃ |

(2-g) Hanta (III. 3.244; p. 332)

Amarakośa denotes the word in various meanings to which Kṣīrasvāmin adds the meanings of dāna and niścaya–

dāne niścaye ca | hantakāraḥ | hanta gacchāmaḥ |

More such indeclinables are listed with their details below:

Indeclinable	Reference of verse and page number	Meanings ordained by Amarakośa	Additional meaning rendered by Kṣīrasvāmin	Relevant example cited by Kṣīrasvāmin for the additional meanings
sakṛt	242; p.331-32	saha ekavāre	sadā	sakṛdyuvāno gīrvāṇāḥ |
prati	245, p.332	pratinidhau, vīpsāyāṃ, lakṣaṇādau	itthaṃbhūte, ākhyāne, bhāge, pratidāne	1.sādhuścaitro mātaraṃ prati | 2. bhāge—yadatra māṃ prati syātsoṃśo dīyatām 3. pratidāne—māṣānasmai tilebhyaḥ prati prayacchati |
iti	245; p.332	hetau, prakaraṇe, prakarṣādau, samāptau	evamarthe, mate vivakṣāniyame, svarūpe, pratyakṣe[3], saṃnnidhau, āvadhāraṇe	1. evamarthe kramādamuṃ nārada ityabodhi saḥ | 2. mate—ityapiśaliḥ | 3. vivakṣāniyametadasyāstyasminniti matup | (Pā.5.2.94) 4. svarūpe—vṛddhirityeva yā vṛddhiḥ |
ātha	247; p.333	maṅgale, ānantare, ārambhe, praśne, kārtsnye	ādhikāre, pratijñāyāṃ, ānvādeśe, samuccaye	1. ādhikāre—ātha snānavidhiḥ | 2. pratijñāyāṃ—gauḍo bhavānatheti brūmaḥ | 3. ānvādeśe—ātho imaṃ vedamadhyāpaya ātha enaṃ chando'pi | 4. samuccaye dvau–ātho khalvāhuḥ | bhīmo'tha ārjunaḥ |
nānā	247; p.333	ānekārthe, ubhayārthe	vinārthe	vinārthe—nānā nārī niṣphalā lokayātrā |
nanu	248; p.333-34	praśne, āvadhāraṇe, ānujñāyāṃ, ānunayāmantraṇe	vākyārambhadau, ākṣepe, pratyuktau	1.vākyārambhenanvapohaḥ prastūyate | 2.ākṣepa -nanu kimarthamāgato'si | 3.pratyuktau-Amarakośa—?[a]rṣī kaṣṭaṃ caitra nanu karomi bhoḥ
āpi	249; p.334	garhāyāṃ, samuccaye praśne, śaṅkāyāṃ, saṃbhāvanāya aṃ	āpekṣāyāṃ, padārthe	1. āpekṣāyām—āpi gṛhṇīyāṃ cedam | 2. padārthe sarpiṣo'pi syāt mātrā stokaṃ vā |
vā	249; p.334	upamāyāṃ, vikalpe	dve dve samuccaye, na tṛtīyetyarthaḥ	1. dve dve samuccaye—sā vā śambhostadīyā vā mūrtirjalamayī mama | 2. na tṛtīyetyarthe—vāyurvādya merurvādya dahano vā |
kaṃ	250; p.334	vāriṇi mūrdhani	nindāsukhayośca	nindāsukhayoścakaṃ darpaḥ kaṃyuḥ |
evaṃ	250; p.334	iva itthaṃ	upadeśe, nirdeśe, niścaye, āṅgīkāre	upadeśe—evaṃ paṭha | nirdeśe—evaṃ tāvat | niścaye—evametat | āṅgīkāre—evaṃ kurmaḥ |
nāma	251; p.334	prākāśye, saṃbhāvye, krodhopagame kutsane	ālīke, vismaye	1. ālīke—daṣṭe'dhare roditi nāma tanvī | 2. vismaye—āndho nāma parvatamārohati |
ālaṃ	252; p.335	bhūṣaṇe, paryāptau, śakti?[a]E, vāraṇe	niṣedhe[4]	niṣedhe–ālapyālamidaṃ babhroryatsava dārānapāharat |
huṃ	252; p.335	vitarke, paripraśna, ?[e]	bhaye, bha?[T]rsana, ?[e] ānicchāyāṃ	bhaye—huṃ rākṣaso'yam | bha?[T]rsane—huṃ nirlajjaḥ | ānicchā-huṃ huṃ muñca |
kila	254; p.335	vārtāyāṃ, saṃbhāvye	hetā, ?[E] ālīke, ārucau	1. hetau—sa kila kavirevamuktavān | 2. ālīke—gotrastvalitaṃ kilā śrutaṃ kṛtvā | 3. ārucau—tvaṃ kila yotsyate |
hā	256; p.336	viṣāde, śucau ārtau	nindāyāṃ	nindāyāṃ—hā śrotriyān |
āhaha	257; p.336	ādbhute, khede	dīrghānto'pi	dīrghānto'pi—bhikṣitvāpi bubhukṣitā yadahahā |

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

sajūrgatipratirūpako nipātaḥ |

[2]:

utā'pyartha -vikalpayoḥ |

[3]:

Example for pratyakṣa and the following three are not given by Kṣīrasvāmin

[4]:

ālaṃ khalvoḥ pratiṣedhayoḥ (Pā. 3. 4. 18)