It is a matter of great pleasure for me to place before the scholars and Sanskrit lovers, the work Samskrta Vacovicchittih Pratyayartha Vaicitri ca or The Idioms, Phrases and Suffixational Subtleties compiled by Mahamahopadhyaya Prof. Pullela Sri Ramachandrudu, an eminent scholar in Vedanta, Vyakarana and Sahitya known for his contributions to various fields of Sanskrit learning. He has been associated with the Vidyapeetha for a long time and member of its various committees, including the Academic Council and the Karya Parishad. He is also the chairman of the Samskrita Bhasha Prachara Samithi (of Pulla Reddy Charities, Hyderabad), which is solely dedicated to the propagation of Sanskrit. Thus, he is actively engaged in both the preservation and propagation of this ancient language. I thank Prof. Sri Ramachandrudu for having accepted to publish his work with the Vidyapeetha.
This is a unique work, in the sense that it is, perhaps the first dictionary of Sanskrit idiomatic usages and phrases to have been compiled. It is well known that idioms add colour to language and variety to expression. Modern languages like English have produced massive reference works including dictionaries, thesaurus, idiomatic usages and phrases that have greatly enriched the language. Such works are of great value, since they allow the speakers to make apt descriptions of ideas and situations. Sanskrit, one of the richest languages, abounds in many such expressions employed in the literary works, dramas and to a lesser extent in the shastra works. However, there have not been any reference works of these special usages in Sanskrit language so far, and hence a desideratum. Indeed, such a work is long due for Sanskrit.
The book Samskrta Vacovicchittih Pratyayartha Vaicitri ca is a welcome addition to the existing dictionaries and is obviously different from them. in this book, the words and the phrases are taken from grammatical works and literary texts. Each work is followed by its explanation/etymology in Sanskrit and its meaning, in English. Besides the main work, the appendix contains bhavarthaka sabdas, suffixes of comparative and superlative degrees, locative absolute constructions (sati saptami), and meanings of certain avyayas like ca, aha, ehi etc. thus the work incorporates the methodology of the Science of Etymology, Grammar and Lexicography i.e. Nirukta, Vyakarana and Kosha. I am sure that the dictionary will be a useful guide to future writers of Sanskrit.
During the last decade of the 20th century, Spoken Sanskrit has gained a lot of momentum. Dedicated efforts are being made to revive this language and bring it back into regular usage. It is in this context, the above work attains great importance and significance as it meets the modern day requirements. The phrases and usages, generally limited to literary texts, could be made current by making them part and parcel of spoken Sanskrit. The present work is particularly relevant in this context.
Prof. Sri Ramachandrudu has opened a new line of approach in compiling the dictionary, which is novel and contemporary in design. The pioneering approach could be a guide for future workers in the field of Sanskrit dictionary making. The work is the result of long years of experience, study and sustained labour. No one is better qualified than Prof. Sri Ramachandrudu to have undertaken this work. The Vidyapeetha takes pride in publishing this new, novel work in its publication series.
I pray Lord Venkateswara for the long and healthy life of Prof. Sri Ramachandrudu and hope that his creative pen would further enrich the treasure trove of Sanskrit Learning for a long time.
I express my heartful thanks to Prof. K.V. Ramakrishnamacharya, for having keen interest in bringing out this publication and also giving thorough reading to this book.
About the Book
There are some expressions in English which are called idioms or phrases. An idiom is defined as "a form of expression, construction, phrase etc., peculiar to a language, a peculiarity of phraseology approved by usage and often having a meaning other than its grammatical or logical one". English is full of many such idiomatic expressions Many idioms are formed by adding prepositions to different roots as in 'put in' 'put out' 'put up', 'put off,' 'put in for' etc., the correct use of which is considered as a mark of perfect knowledge of English. Such idioms are called prepositional idioms.
In English there is no such classification of words as (word conveying the meaning directly) (word conveying a secondary meaning) and (word suggesting an implied meaning). The classification as Rudha, Yaugika and Yogarudha etc., is also not known to the English grammarians. But are very frequently used in English and are responsible for the high effectiveness of the expression and beauty in the language. Expressions like 'grass-root level', 'bottle necks', 'tantalising', 'make it', 'make up,' lose heart', family way' may be cited as examples, some of there are called phrases. There are many works in English dealing with idioms and phrases, some of which merely give meanings and some contain etymological explanations and other particulars. Every language contains such idioms and phrases whether or not they are noted and explained clearly by the grammarians.
There are thousands of beautiful expressions of such nature in Sanskrit also in poetical works, dramas and noted in grammatical works. A dictionary of such works is a desideratum in Sanskrit to help the young writers in this great language. This is a small effort, perhaps for the first time, in that direction. Therefore, while preparing this small compilation, I cannot claim either completeness or perfection of this work. It is hoped that it would inspire some young scholars to make an exhaustive study in preparing works on the lines of books in English and other languages, which will be of immense use to all the Sanskrit lovers.
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