Lesson 1 / 10 · stage-1-sounds
mamātmā — My Self
Abhinavagupta, Bhairavastava v.2 (extract); translation-work bhairavastava · Bhairavastava bh-p02
content l01-mamatma
1 · Original witness
You, Maheśa, are ever my own self.
- author: Abhinavagupta
- work: Bhairavastava
- verse: 2
- edition: translation-work/bhairavastava (gold; GRETIL/Muktabodha M00505)
- variants: Focus extract: tvaṃ ca maheśa sadaiva mamātmā. Full verse continues svātmamayaṃ mama tena samastam.
2 · Recitation
tvaṃ ca | ma-he-śa | sa-da-i-va | ma-mā-tmā
- vowel lengths: ā in mamātmā from a+a→ā; long e in maheśa; ai in sadaiva from a+e→ai
- articulation: retroflex ṣ in maheśa; ṁ anusvāra in tvaṃ
- metre: Bhairavastava verse; free philosophical cadence
Learn it — practical entry
You, Maheśa, are ever my own self.
First fusion: mama + ātmā → mamātmā, “my Self.”
Opening prayer of the volume. Recite the extract three times; feel a+ā fuse.
Decode it — rigorous language instruction
3 · Padaccheda
| surface | underlying | gloss | rule | morph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tvaṃ ca | tvad + ca | You | — | nom.sg+indecl (tvaṃ ca) |
| maheśa ! | maheśa | Maheśa | vocative — direct address | voc.sg (maheśa) |
| sadaiva | sadā + eva | always | yaṇ sandhi: ā + e → ai | adv (sadaiva) |
| mamā'tmā | mama + ātmā | my | savarṇadīrgha: a + ā → ā (Pāṇini 6.1.101) | nom.sg (mamātmā) |
| tvadanugrahaśaktyā | tvad + anugraha + śakti + instr.f | by-power-of-Your-grace | instr. -ā | instr.sg.f (tvadanugrahaśakti) |
| bhāti | √bhā + 3sg | appears | present -ti | 3sg.pres. (bhāti) |
| tvanmayam | tvanmayam | become-of-You | — | acc.sg.n (tvanmaya) |
| etad | etad | this | — | acc.sg.n (etad) |
| aśeṣam | aśeṣam | without-remainder | — | acc.sg.n (aśeṣa) |
| idānīm | idānīm | now | — | adv (idānīm) |
| mama | mama | to-me | — | gen.sg (mama) |
| svātmamayam | svātmamayam | self | — | acc.sg.n (svātmamaya) |
| mama | mama | my | — | gen.sg (mama) |
| tena samastam | tena samastam | all | — | instr+acc (tena samastam) |
Exercise: Reverse mamātmā → mama + ātmā + rule name. Then reverse sadaiva.
4 · Morphology
| surface | lemma | analysis | formation |
|---|---|---|---|
| bhāti | bhāti | 3sg.pres. (bhāti) | appears |
| tvadanugrahaśaktyā | tvadanugrahaśaktyā | instr.sg.f (tvadanugrahaśakti) | by-power-of-Your-grace |
| tvaṃ ca | tvaṃ ca | nom.sg+indecl (tvaṃ ca) | You |
| maheśa ! | maheśa ! | voc.sg (maheśa) | Maheśa |
| sadaiva | sadaiva | adv (sadaiva) | always |
| mamā'tmā | mamā'tmā | nom.sg (mamātmā) | my |
5 · Compounds
mama + ātmā → mamātmā (surface fusion); tvad + anugraha + śakti → tvadanugrahaśakti
| compound | members | relation | reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| mamātmā | mama, ātmā | possessive read as “my Self” | L3 “my own self” |
| tvadanugrahaśaktyā | tvad, anugraha, śakti | tatpuruṣa stack | by the power of Your grace |
Focus: fusion mama + ātmā.
6 · Sandhi proof
| inputs | rule | output |
|---|---|---|
| mama + ātmā | a + ā → ā (savarṇadīrgha, Pāṇini 6.1.101) | mamātmā |
| sadā + eva | ā + e → ai (yaṇ sandhi) | sadaiva |
| tvad + anugraha… | consonant adjustments inside compound | tvadanugrahaśaktyā |
7 · Syntax
- case roles: tvaṃ (nom); maheśa (voc); mamātmā (nom predicate); tvadanugrahaśaktyā (instr means)
- agreement: mamātmā nom.sg.m agrees with tvaṃ
- finite verbs: bhāti (3sg) in full verse; extract is predicate clause
- implied: copula implied in “You … are … my Self”
8 · Translation from the syntax
Interlinear: You · and · Maheśa(O) · always-alone · my-Self
Literal: You, Maheśa, are always my own Self.
Readable: You, Maheśa, are ever my own self — made of You, all is mine through You. (full L2 continues)
Alternatives: No competing parse of mamātmā; other sites stay open when they arise.
Recognise it — Trika exegesis
Text / Abhinavagupta: Bhairavastava is a hymn of grace; the extract isolates Maheśa as one’s own Self.
Bridge: Nominal predication mirrors identity claim — identity is hymn theology, not dictionary ātman.
- Maheśa (voc) — address to Śiva as great lord
- mamātmā (nom) — Self as “mine” — possession into identity
- anugraha-śakti (instr) — grace as means of the seeing
Lakshmanjoo: Not primary for this line; house mealtime lore is Gītā 4.24.
Our synthesis: Pedagogical framing only; L2/L3 from translation-work.
10 · Practice and mastery
- recite: Recite the extract three times; feel a+ā fuse.
- write: Write mama and ātmā separately, then fused with the rule.
- memorise: Hold sadā+eva→sadaiva as rule box 2.
- when: Opening prayer of the volume.
Transfer exercises:
- Reverse mamātmā → two words + rule.
- Why does ātmā keep long ā?
- Find another a+ā fusion later.