सङ्गीतरत्नाकर: प्रथम भाग (शार्ङ्गदेव - स्वरगताध्याय सविस्तार व्याख्या व अनुवाद सहित)

112 Treatment of Svara Section 3: Nāda, Śruti and Svara 113
(iii) पञ्चविधो नादः (iv) नादशब्दस्य निरुक्तिः
नादोऽतिसूक्ष्मः सूक्ष्मश्च पुष्टोऽपुष्टश्च कृत्रिमः । नकारं प्राणनामानं दकारमनलं विदुः ।
इति पञ्चाभिधा धत्ते पञ्चस्थानस्थितः क्रमात् ॥५॥ जातः प्राणाग्निसंयोगात्तेन नादोऽभिधीयते ॥६॥
(iii) Fivefold nāda (5) (iv) The derivation of nāda
Stationed in these five places, nāda takes on five differ- It is understood¹ that the syllable² na (of nāda) repre-
ent names as associated with them respectively, viz., sents the vital force and da³ represents fire; thus being
extremely subtle¹, subtle², loud³, not-so-loud⁴ and artifi- produced⁴ by the interaction⁵ of the vital force and fire it is
cial⁵. (5) called nāda. (6)
'S' quotes Mataṅga who gives slightly a different set of nomencla- This verse gives the derivation of the word nāda. In Sanskrit two
ture, viz., subtle, very subtle, manifest, unmanifest and artificial. It is types of derivations are offered, viz. (i) grammatical called vyutpatti and
significant that our author has reversed the order of the first two; and (ii) what may be called in English 'semantic', i. e., nirukti; and here what
the reason is not far to seek. Mataṅga says that the nāda called subtle we are offered is a semantic derivation, which is partly related to
resides in the cave (i.e., the navel), very subtle in the heart, manifest in the tantric system. 'K' points out that according to the science of tantra,
the throat, unmanifest in the the cerebrum and artificial in the mouth. every seed-syllable (bījakṣara) of a mantra has a presiding deity, and in
It is not clear why Mataṅga should locate the very subtle nāda in the that context the letters n and d refer to Prāṇa and Agni, i. e, the vital
heart; for the natural order of manifestation upto the throat is such force and fire. The word nāda is derived grammatically by 'S' as that
that the lower the place the less manifest the nāda must be. The progress which is produced by the consonants n and d put together.
should be from the subtlest to the gross. Accordingly our author seems Thus, the word nāda is significant, both grammatically and seman-
to have represented the correct notion (cf. S. Raj. II. 1.1.17 which tically and is indicative of signifying the consequence of the interaction
follows S R ). of vital force and fire, which is the 'consciousness of sound'.
'S' would like us to follow the order indicated by Mataṅga, but Mataṅga derives the word nāda from the root nad 'to sound' in
he does not assign any reasons for that; neither he seems to perceive any addition to the semantic derivation given by our author who has pre-
controversy or a difference of opinion between the two authors. It may ferred to give the latter alone as it explains the process of voice pro-
therefore be inferred that, he takes the difference of the order in question duction.
as caused by the poetic convenience and not worthy of any serious atten-
tion. That is why he innocently suggests Mataṅga's order to be the
true one.
Incidentally, cerebrum is the highest point of nāda-manifestation;
and just as it (nāda) is very subtle at the lowest point; so also it is diffi-
cult of perception at the highest point, being at the other extremity of
the producing instrument; that is why it is characterised as 'not-so-loud' 1. If literally translated, it would read, "(they) knew", 'they'
or unmanifest. being implied in the number and the person of the verbal

1. Atisūkṣma of the text. form used. They refer, as perceived by 'K', to tantric
2. Sūkṣma of the text. experts.
3. Puṣṭa of the text is suggestive of strength, in other words that 2. Literally, "the letter n and the letter d."
   which has gained in volume. 3. The idea of representation is not explicit in the text but is
4. Apuṣṭa of the text. definitely implied in the context.
5. Kṛtrima of the text. It is so named because sound, after being 4. Produced as a consequence of the union of the vital-force and
   produced through the vocal chords, is modified in the mouth fire.
   by the tongue, the teeth, the lips, etc., and thereby loses its 5. Literally it would read as 'union', but the union is an action.
   natural texture. 8