॥ अथ प्रथमो मयूखः ॥
१.१
उच्चैरस्यति मन्दतामरसतां जाग्रत्कलङ्कैरव-
ध्वंसं हस्तयते च या सुमनसामुल्लासिनी मानसे ।
धृष्टोद्यन्मदनाशनार्चिरमला लोकत्रयीदर्शिका
सा नेत्रत्रितयीव खण्डपरशोर्वाग्देवता दीव्यतु ॥
Summary AI May the Goddess of Speech, Vāgdevatā, shine forth like the three eyes of Lord Śiva (Khaṇḍaparaśu). She dispels the destruction of ignorance likened to the night-blooming lotus, resides joyfully in the minds of the virtuous, subdues the dullness of the day-lotus, and like the pure flame that consumed Madana, reveals the three worlds.
१.४
तं पूर्वाचार्यसूर्योक्तिज्योतिः स्तोमोद्गमं स्तुमः ।
यं प्रस्तूय प्रकाशन्ते मद्गुणास्त्रसरेणवः ॥
Summary AI I praise that rising mass of light—the utterances of the sun-like ancient teachers—by introducing which my own virtues shine forth, though they are merely like tiny motes of dust (trasareṇus) in a sunbeam.
१.५
नाशङ्कनीयमेतेषां मतमेतेन दूष्यते ।
किं तु चक्षुर्मृगाक्षीणां कज्जलेनेव भूष्यते ॥
Summary AI One should not suspect that the views of the ancient masters are being refuted by this work. Rather, they are being adorned, just as the eyes of fawn-eyed women are beautified by the application of collyrium (kajjala).
१.६
प्रतिभैव श्रुताभ्याससहिता कवितां प्रति ।
हेतुर्मृदम्बुसम्बद्धा बीजमाला लतामिव ॥
Summary AI Only innate genius (pratibhā), combined with the study of scriptures and constant practice, is the cause of poetry, just as a collection of seeds, when united with soil and water, is the cause of a creeper.
१.७
निर्दोषा लक्षणवती सरीतिर्गुणभूषणा ।
सालंकाररसानेकवृत्तिर्वाक्काव्यनामभाक् ॥
Summary AI Speech that is free from flaws, possesses poetic characteristics, follows specific styles (rītis), is adorned with virtues (guṇas), and contains various functions (vṛttis) of ornaments (alaṅkāras) and sentiments (rasas), earns the name of poetry (kāvya).
१.९
विभक्त्युत्पत्तये योग्यः शास्त्रीयः शब्द इष्यते ।
रूढयौगिकतन्मिश्रैः प्रभेदैः स पुनस्त्रिधा ॥
Summary AI A technical word (śāstrīya-śabda) is defined as that which is fit for the affixing of case-terminations. It is of three types: conventional (rūḍha), etymological (yaugika), and a mixture of both (miśra).
१.१०
अव्यक्तयोगनिर्योगयोगाभासैस्त्रिधादिमः ।
ते च वृक्षादिभूवादिमण्डपाद्या यथाक्रमम् ॥
Summary AI The first type (rūḍha) is threefold: where the etymological connection is unmanifest, non-existent, or illusory. These are exemplified respectively by words like vṛkṣa (tree), bhū (earth), and maṇḍapa (pavilion).
१.११
शुद्धतन्मूलसंभिन्नप्रभेदैर्यौगिकस्त्रिधा ।
ते च भ्रान्तिस्फुरत्कान्तिकौन्तेयादिस्वरूपिणः ॥
Summary AI The etymological word (yaugika) is of three kinds: pure, based on the root, or mixed. These are embodied in words such as bhrānti (delusion), sphuratkānti (throbbing luster), and Kaunteya (son of Kuntī).
१.१२
तन्मिश्रो ऽन्योन्यसामान्यविशेषपरिवर्तनात् ।
नीरधिः पङ्कजं सौधः सागरो भूरुहः शशी ॥
Summary AI The mixed type arises from the mutual interchange of general and specific meanings. Examples include nīradhi (ocean), paṅkaja (lotus), saudha (mansion), sāgara (sea), bhūruha (tree), and śaśī (moon).
१.१३
क्षीरनीरधिराकाशपङ्कजं तेन सिद्धयति ।
विभक्त्यन्तं पदं वाक्यं तद्व्यूहो ऽर्थसमाप्तितः ॥
Summary AI Thus, terms like milk-ocean or sky-lotus are established. A word (pada) is that which ends in a case-termination, and a sentence (vākya) is a collection of such words leading to a complete meaning.
१.१४
युक्तार्थतां तां च विना खण्डवाक्यं स इष्यते ।
वाक्यं च खण्डवाक्यं च पदमेकमपि क्वचित् ॥
Summary AI A sentence possesses a unified meaning; without that completeness, it is considered a sentence fragment (khaṇḍavākya). In certain contexts, a sentence, a fragment, or even a single word can convey meaning.
१.१५
धूमवत्त्वादिति यथा देवेत्यामन्त्रणं यथा ।
वाक्यान्येकार्थविश्रान्तान्याहुर्वाक्यकदम्बकम् ॥
Summary AI For example, the word 'because of smoke' or the address 'O Lord!' A group of sentences resting on a single cohesive idea is called a collection of sentences (vākyakadambaka).
॥ इति प्रथमो मयूखः ॥
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Sanskrit Sahitya is a free, open-access digital library of classical Sanskrit literature with AI-powered tools and translations.