Lesson 7 / 10 · stage-4-trika-grammar
tādātmyam anayor … vahnidāhikayor iva — the dual
Abhinavagupta, Bodhapañcadaśikā v.3; translation-work bodhapancadasika · Bodhapañcadaśikā bod-p03-v03
content l07-dual-fire
1 · Original witness
Power wants no parting from her bearer — never, ever; the two are eternally one — as fire is one with burning.
- author: Abhinavagupta
- work: Bodhapañcadaśikā
- verse: 3
- edition: translation-work/bodhapancadasika (gold)
- variants: Duals: anayor, vahnidāhikayor (gen/loc dual).
2 · Recitation
śak-tiś ca | śak-ti-mad-rū-pāt | vy-a-ti-re-kaṃ | na vāñ-cha-ti | tā-dāt-myam | a-na-yor | ni-tyaṃ | i-va | va-hni-dā-hi-ka-yor
- vowel lengths: ā in tādātmyam, dāhi
- articulation: ñ in vāñchati; ṣ in śakti; ḍ in tādātmyam
- metre: aphoristic pair
Learn it — practical entry
Power wants no parting from her bearer — never, ever; the two are eternally one — as fire is one with burning.
Dual number through Śiva–Śakti as fire and burning.
Teaching Śiva–Śakti identity. Land on each -yor.
Decode it — rigorous language instruction
3 · Padaccheda
| surface | underlying | gloss | rule | morph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| śaktiś ca | śaktiḥ + ca | Power | visarga → ś before c | f.nom.sg + ca (śaktiḥ) |
| śaktimadrūpāt | śaktimat + rūpa + abl. | from-power-possessor-form | abl -āt | n.abl.sg (comp.) |
| vyatirekam | vyatireka + acc.m | difference | difference/parting | m.acc.sg |
| na vāñchati | na + √vāñch + 3sg | does-not-desire | neg + present | na + 3sg.pres.act √vāñch joints |
| tādātmyam | tādātmya + nom.n | identity | abstract identity | n.nom.sg |
| anayor | dual gen/loc | of-these-two | -yor “of these two” | m./n.gen./loc.du (idas) |
| vahnidāhikayor | vahni + dāhika + dual | fire-burning | compound dual -yor | m./n.gen./loc.du (comp.) |
| iva | iva | as | comparative “as” | indecl. |
| nityaṃ | nityaṃ | eternal | — | adv. (nitya) |
Exercise: Circle every -yor; say “dual, of these two.”
4 · Morphology
| surface | lemma | analysis | formation |
|---|---|---|---|
| śaktiś ca | śaktiś | f.nom.sg + ca (śaktiḥ) | Power |
| śaktimadrūpāt | śaktimadrūpāt | n.abl.sg (comp.) | from-power-possessor-form |
| vyatirekam | vyatirekam | m.acc.sg | difference |
| na vāñchati | na | na + 3sg.pres.act √vāñch joints | does-not-desire |
| tādātmyam | tādātmyam | n.nom.sg | identity |
| anayor | na | m./n.gen./loc.du (idas) | of-these-two |
| nityaṃ | nityaṃ | adv. (nitya) | eternal |
| iva | iva | indecl. | as |
| vahnidāhikayor | vahnidāhikayor | m./n.gen./loc.du (comp.) | fire-burning |
5 · Compounds
śaktimat+rūpa; vahni+dāhika dual
| compound | members | relation | reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| vahnidāhika | vahni, dāhika | pair fire–burning for dual | fire and its burning |
| śaktimadrūpa | śaktimat, rūpa | tatpuruṣa | form of the power-holder |
Both -yor forms are the lesson.
6 · Sandhi proof
| inputs | rule | output |
|---|---|---|
| śaktiḥ + ca | visarga → ś before c | śaktiś ca |
| dual + -yor | gen./loc. dual -yor (not plural) | anayor / vahnidāhikayor |
| tādātmya + iva | no fusion | tādātmyam … iva |
7 · Syntax
- case roles: śaktiḥ nom; vyatirekam acc; śaktimadrūpāt abl; tādātmyam nom pred; dual gen/loc -yor
- agreement: tādātmyam n.nom.sg; duals limit the pair
- finite verbs: vāñchati 3sg negated
- implied: iva pulls fire–burning standard
8 · Translation from the syntax
Interlinear: Power-and-ca · from-power-possessor-form(ABL) · difference(ACC) · not-desires · identity · of-these-two · eternal · as · of-fire-burning-two
Literal: Power also does not desire separation from the form of the power-holder. Identity of the two is eternal, as of fire and burning.
Readable: Power wants no parting from her bearer — never, ever; the two are eternally one — as fire is one with burning.
Alternatives: anayor dual; referents from context (śakti & bearer) in syntax.
Recognise it — Trika exegesis
Text / Abhinavagupta: Śiva–Śakti identity through fire–burning — dual does the work of “exactly two that are not two.”
Bridge: Dual introduced on Trika’s central analogy; -yor makes metaphysics more exact.
- śakti / śaktimat — power and bearer of power
- anayor (dual) — the pair that is identity
- vahnidāhikayor (dual) — fire and burning as irreparable pair
Lakshmanjoo: Not primary here.
Our synthesis: Pedagogical framing; L3 from translation-work.
10 · Practice and mastery
- recite: Land on each -yor.
- write: Singular/dual/plural columns; place anayor.
- memorise: Dual gen/loc -yor as foundational rule box.
- when: Teaching Śiva–Śakti identity.
Transfer exercises:
- Reverse vahnidāhikayor.
- Why dual not plural?
- Find another -yor later.