Today we will look at the form मुहूर्तसेवया fIs from श्रीमद्भागवतम् 10.84.12.

न ह्यम्मयानि तीर्थानि न देवा मृच्छिलामयाः । ते पुनन्त्युरुकालेन दर्शनादेव साधवः ।। १०-८४-११ ।।
नाग्निर्न सूर्यो न च चन्द्रतारका न भूर्जलं खं श्वसनोऽथ वाङ्मनः । उपासिता भेदकृतो हरन्त्यघं विपश्चितो घ्नन्ति मुहूर्तसेवया ।। १०-८४-१२ ।।

श्रीधर-स्वामि-टीका
एतत्प्रपञ्चयति – न ह्यम्मयानीति त्रिभिः ।। ११ ।। वाङ्मनसयोरप्युपासनाविषयत्वम्, ‘यो वाचं ब्रह्मेत्युपास्ते मनो ब्रह्मेत्युपास्ते’ इति श्रुतेः । अघं तन्मूलमज्ञानं न हरन्ति । अत्र हेतुः – भेदकर्तारः यद्वा भेदबुद्धिं कुर्वतः पुंसः । विपश्चितो निरस्तभेदाः । ते तु मुहूर्तमात्रसेवयैवाघं घ्नन्तीति ।। १२ ।।

Translation – Sacred waters alone do not possess purificatory virtues, nor do images of clay and stone alone represent the deities. Whereas these purify a man after one has recourse to them and worshiped them for a long time, holy men purify by their very sight (11). The gods presiding over fire, the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, water, ether, air, speech and mind, when worshiped, cannot completely wash off our sins, inasmuch as they promote our sense of diversity; whereas on account of (our) service (to them) even for a few minutes, the wise wipe off our sins (12).

लौकिक-विग्रह: –
(1) मुहूर्तं सेवा = मुहूर्तसेवा – service for a short time.
Note: As per the सूत्रम् 2-3-5 कालाध्वनोरत्यन्तसंयोगे a second case affix is used following the प्रातिपदिकम् ‘मुहूर्त’।

अलौकिक-विग्रह: –
(2) मुहूर्त अम् + सेवा सुँ । By 2-1-29 अत्यन्तसंयोगे च – When uninterrupted connection is meant, words ending in a second case affix and denoting (a period of) time optionally compound with a (syntactically related) पदम् ending in a सुँप् affix and the resulting compound gets the designation तत्पुरुष:।
Note: The अनुवृत्ति: of काला: comes down from the prior सूत्रम् 2-1-28 कालाः in to this सूत्रम् 2-1-29. But the अनुवृत्ति: of क्तेन does not come down (from the सूत्रम् 2-1-25 स्वयं क्तेन) in to this सूत्रम् 2-1-29.

(3) By 1-2-43 प्रथमानिर्दिष्टं समास उपसर्जनम् – the term ‘मुहूर्त अम्’ gets the designation उपसर्जनम् because in the सूत्रम् 2-1-29 (which prescribes the compounding) the term द्वितीया (which comes as अनुवृत्ति: from 2-1-24 द्वितीया श्रितातीतपतितगतात्यस्तप्राप्तापन्नैः) ends in the nominative case. Hence ‘मुहूर्त अम्’ is placed in the prior position in the compound as per the सूत्रम् 2-2-30 उपसर्जनं पूर्वम्‌ – In a compound a term which has the designation ‘उपसर्जन’ should be placed in the prior position.

Note: ‘मुहूर्त अम् + सेवा सुँ’ gets the designation प्रातिपदिकम्‌ by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च। This allows 2-4-71 to apply in the next step.

(4) मुहूर्त + सेवा । By 2-4-71 सुपो धातुप्रातिपदिकयोः – A सुँप् affix takes a लुक् elision when it is a part of a धातुः or a प्रातिपदिकम्।

= मुहूर्तसेवा ।

As per the सूत्रम् 2-4-26 परवल्लिङ्गं द्वन्द्वतत्पुरुषयोः, the compound प्रातिपदिकम् ‘ मुहूर्तसेवा’ is feminine since the latter member ‘सेवा’ of the compound is feminine.

(5) मुहूर्तसेवा + टा । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिँभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप् ।

See question 1.

(6) मुहूर्तसेवा + आ । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-7 चुटू, 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

(7) मुहूर्तसेवे + आ । By 7-3-105 आङि चापः – ‘आप्’ ending bases get the letter ‘ए’ as the substitute when followed by the affix ‘आङ्’ (‘टा’) or ‘ओस्’। Note: As per the परिभाषा-सूत्रम् 1-1-52 अलोऽन्त्यस्य only the ending letter ‘आ’ of the base ‘मुहूर्तसेवा’ is replaced by ‘ए’।

(8) मुहूर्तसेवया । By 6-1-78 एचोऽयवायावः।

Questions:

1. Which सूत्रम् justifies the use of a third case affix in the form मुहूर्तसेवया?

2. Commenting on the सूत्रम् 2-1-29 अत्यन्तसंयोगे च (used in step 2) the सिद्धान्तकौमुदी says – अक्तान्तार्थं वचनम्। Please explain.

3. Which कृत् affix is used to form the neuter प्रातिपदिकम् ‘दर्शन’ used in the form दर्शनात् (पञ्चमी-एकवचनम्) in the verses?

4. In which word in the verses has the affix ‘क्विँप्’ been used?

5. Where has the सूत्रम् 3-2-124 लटः शतृशानचावप्रथमासमानाधिकरणे been used in the commentary?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“The objects of sense give (only) momentary happiness.” Use the masculine noun ‘विषय’ for ‘object of sense.’ Form a compound for ‘momentary happiness’ = ‘happiness for a moment’ = मुहूर्तं सुखम्।

Easy questions:

1. Where has the सूत्रम् 6-4-112 श्नाभ्यस्तयोरातः been used in the verses?

2. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the substitution ‘घ्’ in the form घ्नन्ति?