Part 13 - Nadinamani (Nadi Nama)

The following thirty seven words are listed as synonyms Yaska in his Nirukta (2.24)² gives the derivation of the word nadyah as "they are so called because they are roaring, " 1. Avanayah: The word and its forms occur in sixteen places. In three places Sayana interpretes it as a river or water (V.85.6; avanih 1,61.10; V.11.5). The form is also listed under angulinamani (Nigh.2.5.11). Yaska in his Nirukta says that it is the synonym of fingers also and he derives it as "Avanayah means fingers: they promote actions. (For details refer supra to prthvinamani Migh,1,1.9). 3 1. 1. avaneyah 2. yavyah yaddevayah 3.khah 4. sirah 5. motyah | 6. enveh 7. dhuneyah 7. dhuneyah 8. rujanoh 1 . vaksanoh 10. khada arnah 11. rodhacakrah 12. haritah 13. saritah 14. agruveh 15. namanvah 16. vadhve 17. hiranyavarnah 18. rohiteh 1 19. saksateh 20. arna ! 25. iravatyah 2. 3. : : 21. sindhavah 22. kulyah 23. varyah 24. urvyah 8 26. parvatyah varvatyah 27. sarvantyah 30. taresvatyah 31. sarasvatyah 28. urjasvatyah 29 paryasvatyah 32. harasvatyah 33. radhesvatyah 34. bhasvetyah 35. ajirah 36. matarah 37. nadyah | nadyah kasmat | nadana ima bhavanti | sabdavatyah | niru . 3.9. avanayo ai . gulyo bhavanti | avanti karmani |

2. Yayyah: The word with its form occurs in three places. Only its form yavyabhih which occurs in RV. VIII.98.8 is interpreted as river (i.e.nadibhih). Sayana points out that it is listed in the synonyms of river. The other form yavya which occurs in two places (I.167.4; 173,12), is used in the sense of mixture (misrabila). 231 3. Khah: Its form kham occurs in two places (II.28.5; VI.36.4). It is interpreted as river; from the root khan. 4. Sirah: The word and its forms occur in seven places. In four places it is used in the sense of river; and in X.97.9 it is explained as 'saranasilah patatrinih.' The Rk is addressed to osadhi. sira occurs in two places and it means sirani (plough). 5. Srotyah: The word and its form occurs in two places In the sense of river. The form srotiyabhih, is interpreted as Sravana silabhiradbhih (III.39.9). 6. Enyah: It occurs in two places (RV.V.53.7; VIII.69.10) and is explained as rivers. + " T 7. Dhunayah: The word and its forms occur in twertynine

232 places. In five places it is used in the sense of river zhui (II.30.2; 15.5; V.87.3; I.174.9 and VI.20.12). Sayana interpretes the word in II.15.5 as that which washes the `sins of praisers, and in I.174.9 he explains it alternatively 4 as a demon, In other places it is interpreted as kabayitarah. It is used as adjective to gods like Maruts, Indra etcYaska says "Dhunih (shaker) is derived from the mot dhu (to shake) (Niru.5.12).5 Janu 8. Rujanah: The word occurs only in one place (1.32.6).6 sayana interpretes it as river quoting Yaska's Nirukta (6.4); "Rujanah means rivers. They break (rujanti) their banks." The form rujan which occurs in five places means breaking (bhanjan). 4. dhunotistotrnam papaniti dhunih parusni nadi | tam | 1. 174.9, kampanopeta tara gavatih | athava | thunirnama jalapratirodhakari asurah | 5. dhuni dhunoteh | 60 sayanabhasya | rujanah | "ruji bhaige " rujanti kulaniti jananavah | " rujana nadyo bhavanti rujanti kulani niru . 6.4. 8 iti yaskah |

233 9. Vaksanah: The word and its forms occur in fourteen ▼ places. In eleven places it is used in the sense of river. In I.134.4 sayana quotes Nighantu and places vaksanah before rujanah; in the extant Nighantu, rujanah is placed before vaksanah.7 In VI.23.6, he explains vaksanani as vahakani stotrani. 10. Khado arnah: This word occurs in V.45.2 and Sayana interpretes it as rivers, 8 The word in the Nighantu is listed, taking from padapatha of the Reveda. Here the word is taken from Samhita itself. In the padapatha it is read as khadaharnah. 11. Rodhacakrah: The word occurs only in one place ② (1.190.7). Sayana states that it belongs to nadinamani and interpretes it as river. 9 7. nadinamaitat | "vaksanah rujanah " nigha . 1. 13.9 iti tannamasu pathat | • 8. khado arnah bhaksitakulodakah | kulamkasa ityarthah | nadyacaivamrupa bhavanti | 9. namdinamaitat | rodhanasilani cakrani yasu tastadrsyah kulam kramamanah va |

The word rodhah also occurs in the RV. in two places. (1.e. IV.5.1; X.48.2). They are interpreted as anirodna and rodhakaharta respectively. 12. Haritah: The word with its forms occurs in thirty nine places. Nowhere it is used in the sense of river. In nineteen places it is used in the sense of horse and in rest of the places it is used as adjective (haritavarna), (For details refer supra to dinnamani Nigh. 1.6.8). word is listed also in angulinamani (Nigh.2.5.12) (Nirukta 4.10). The 13. Saritah: The word occurs in two places. It is interpreted in the sense assigned (RV. III.58.6; VII.70.2). 234 14. Agruvah: The word occurs in nine places. In four places it is interpreted in the sense of a river (I.191.4; IV.29.13; IV.19.7; VII.2.5). In four places it is used in the sense of fingers (1.140.8, III.29.13; IX.1.8; 66.9). The word is also listed under synonyms of fingers (V.25.1). The form agruh (1.44.7) is explained as agragami. 15. Nabhanvah: The word occurs in only one place (IV.19.7), not in the sense assigned. Sayana explains it: Satrunam himsakah (sena iva).

" 235 Gener- 16. Vadhvah: The word with its forms occurs in twelve places. It is not interpreted in the sense assigned. ally it means bride, and in two places vadhu is explained as indrapatnI (V.37.3, X.27.12). In V.47.6 it is explained as rays which are vadhusthaniyah. (Refer supra to 17. Hiranyavarnah: The word occurs only in RV.11.35.9. In fact it is an adjective of the waters, hiranyanamani 1.2.5). 18. Rohitah: The word with its forms occurs in seventeen places. Nowhere it is used in the sense of river. The form rohita is interpreted as rohitavarnau asvau, in all the places. In other places it is used as adjective (red). 19. Sasrutah: The word occurs in three places (I.141.1; IV.28.1; IX.28.1). It is not used in the sense assigned. In IV.28.1 Sayana interpretes it as adjective to water. (Saranasilah apah). 20. Arnah: The word and its forms are used in forty places, Only in V.41.14 it is used in the sense of river, and in thirty two places as water (refer suprato Pudakanamani D' 1.12.1). In the remaining seven places it is interpreted as tejas, jyoti and as adjective i.e. araniya.

1 236 21. Sindhavah: The word with its forms occurs in wo hundred and nine places. In one hundred and two places sayana interpretes it as river including the river known as Sindhu along with other rivers Ganga, Sutadri (III.3.5) Sarasvati and Vipat (III.53.9). The form sindhuh is interpreted as bhimani devata of water in twenty places. In fifteen places, it is used to mean samudra. In rest of the places it is explained as syandanasila apah i.e.flowing water. In X.67.12 the word is interpreted as seven rivers 1.e. the Ganga etc, Yaska explains the word sindhu in his Nirukta (5.27) as sindhuh sravanat. A river is so called from flowing (sru). 22. Kulyah: The word occurs in three places in the sense assigned. Kulyah-Siva is explained as (III.45.3) Krtrimasaritah (Somah). 23. Varyah: The word does not occur in any of the Vedas. 24. Uryah: The word does not occur the form.Uryah occurs (I.146.2) in the sense of earth. (For details see to supra Nigh. prthivinamadheyani Nigh. 1.1.10). N 25. Iravatyah: The word does not occur. The forma iravat, irasvatih, ira, occur in four places and iravat in x "

three places; but not in the sense of river. They are used in the sense of anna. The word ira is listed in annanamani. Ira (V.83.4) is used to mean 'earth.' The word ira means food and iravat is interpreted as possessing of food. Vedas. 26. Parvatyah: The word does not occur in any of the 237 27. Sravantyah: Its form sravantih occurs in four places (1.32.14; 174.9; VI.20.12; x.104.8) and is used in the sense of river. In I.32.14 Sayana explains it as ekonasatasamkhyakah nadih. In fact the word is an adjective (flowing). 28. Urjasvatyah: Its form urjasvatih occurs in X.169.1. It is interpreted as rasavatih (osadhi full of juice). ' 29. Payasvatyah: The word does not occur. Its forms payasvati and payasvatih occur in five places in the sense of river. (Refer supra to ratrinamani 1.7.14) (Payah is listed in Nigh.1.12.37 and 2.7.3). 1 30. Tarasvatyah: The word does not occur in any of the Vedas. 1

t 239 31. Sarasvatyah: This form does not occur but other forms occur in seventy one places. The word Sarasvati is used in the sense of river or river-goddess in forty mine places. (For details refer supra to vannamani (Nigh.1.11.22). 32. Harasvatyah: Only its form harasvati occurs in II. 23.6; but not in the sense assigned. It is used as adjective (vegavati) to durbuddhi, 33. Rodhasvatyah: Only its form rodhasvatih occurs in one place (RV.1.38.11) in the sense (possessing a bank (kulayukta nadih). In fact the word is an adjective. 10 34. Bhasvatyah: Its form bhasvati occurs in two places (1.92.7, 113.4); but not in the sense of a river, It is used as an adjective (lustrous). 35. Afirah: The word and its forms occur in seventeen places. It is not used in the sense assigned. Sayanz interpretes it as either gamanasila or ksipra in all the places. The word ajiram is listed in the ksipranamani (2.15.3). 10. 1.38.11. rudhira avarane "runaddhi hotah iti rodhah kulan | ayant ztvaru: (7.6.1.8 274: ai sofa ata: 1 1 I

36. Matarah: The word with its forms occur in two hundred and one places. Sayana interpretes it in nine places, in the sense of river or vrstyudaka. Matara 239 occurs in twenty five places, in the sense of dvavaortaivi. In other places it is used in various senses such as mother, earth, cow, usas etc. The rivers are figuratively called 'mothers' as they nourish the beings. $ 37. Nadyah: The word with its forms occurs in seventy places. In sixty two places it is used in the sense of river. In six places it is explained as vasativarisu. In II.74.2 the form nadinam is interpreted as stutInan and nadl-it is explained as nadane dyavaprthivyau (RV.I.135.9). form: The above discussion may be summarised in a tabular Words No of times they occur in the RV. No. of times used in the sense assigned 1. Avanayah 2 Yavyah 16 3 3 3 Khah 6 2 sirah 4 5 Srotyah 2 6 Enyah 2 2 • f }

240 Words No.of times they occur in the RV. No. of times used in the sense assigned 7 Dhunayah 29 5 8 Rujanah 1 9 Vaksanah 14 11 10 Khado-arnah 1 1 11 Rodha-cakrah 1 1 12 Haritah 39 13 Saritah 29 92 14 Agruvah 9 2 15 Nabhanvah 1 16 Vadhvah 12 17 Hiranyavarnab 1 1 18 Rohitah 17 19° Sasrutah 3 20 Arnah 40 21 Sindhavah 209 22 Kulyah 3 1 (in thirtytwo places as water) 102 3 23 Varyah 24 Urvyah 67 25 Iravatyah 26 Parvatyah 27 Sravantyah 4 28 Urjasvatyah 1 1

Words No.of times they occur in the RV. No.of times used in the sense assigned 29 Payasvatyah 5 30 Tarasvatyah 31 Sarasvatyah 71 49 32 Harasvatyah 1 1 33 Rodhasvatyah 2 34 Bhasvatyah 2 35 Ajirah 17 36 Matarah 201 9 37. Nadyah 70 62 241 From the above study, we can come to the conclusion that three words are not used in the Vedas and fifteen words are not used in the sense of river. Seventeen words occur only in less than five places; sixteen words are used in the sense of river less than five times. 1 C