Today we will look at the form मुखाम्बुजम्  nAs from श्रीमद्भागवतम् 8.5.45.

स त्वं नो दर्शयात्मानमस्मत्करणगोचरम् । प्रपन्नानां दिदृक्षूणां सस्मितं ते मुखाम्बुजम् ।। ८-५-४५ ।।
तैस्तैः स्वेच्छाधृतै रूपैः काले काले स्वयं विभो । कर्म दुर्विषहं यन्नो भगवांस्तत्करोति हि ।। ८-५-४६ ।।

श्रीधर-स्वामि-टीका
सस्मितं मुखाम्बुजं दिदृक्षूणां नोऽस्मच्चक्षुरादिकरणगोचरं यथा भवत्येवं चात्मानं दर्शय ।। ४५ ।। भक्तेच्छानुवर्तित्वं च तव बहुशो दृष्टमेवेत्याह – तैस्तैरिति । यन्नो दुर्विषहमशक्यं कर्म तद्भगवान्स्वयमेव करोति हि ।। ४६ ।।

Gita Press translation – Such as You are, be pleased to reveal Yourself – in such a way as to come within the range of our senses (of perception) – to us, that have resorted to You (for protection) and are eager to behold Your smiling lotus-like countenance (45). For, through diverse forms assumed at His own sweet will from time to time, O Lord, the Almighty Himself (in You) does that work which is beyond our capacity (46).

(1) मुखमम्बुजमिव = मुखाम्बुजम् – A countenance (beautiful) as a lotus.

अलौकिक-विग्रह: –
(2) मुख सुँ + अम्बुज सुँ । By 2-1-56 उपमितं व्याघ्रादिभिः सामान्याप्रयोगे – A सुबन्तं (ending in a सुँप् affix) पदम् which denotes that which is to be compared optionally compounds with another सुबन्तं (ending in a सुँप् affix) पदम् composed by adding a सुँप् affix to ‘व्याघ्र’ etc – provided both the सुबन्त-पदे refer to the same item and the common attribute is not mentioned – and the resulting compound is a तत्पुरुष:।
Note: उपमेयमुपमितम् – The word उपमितम् used in this सूत्रम् stands for उपमेयम् – that which is to be compared.
Note: व्याघ्रादिराकृतिगण: – The व्याघ्रादि-गण: (list of terms ‘व्याघ्र’ etc.) is a आकृतिगण: – which is a class or group of words in which some words are actually mentioned and room is left to include others which are found undergoing the same operations. Hence the compound मुखमम्बुजमिव = मुखाम्बुजम् is justified even though अम्बुजम् may not be specifically listed in the व्याघ्रादि-गण:।

(3) As per 1-2-43 प्रथमानिर्दिष्टं समास उपसर्जनम् the term ‘मुख सुँ’ – which denotes that which is to be compared – gets the designation उपसर्जनम् because in the सूत्रम् 2-1-56 (which prescribes the compounding) the term उपमितम् ends in the nominative case. And hence the term ‘मुख सुँ’ 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: ‘मुख सुँ + अम्बुज सुँ’ gets the designation प्रातिपदिकम्‌ by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च। This allows 2-4-71 to apply in the next step.

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

(5) मुखाम्बुज । By 6-1-101 अकः सवर्णे दीर्घः।

As per the सूत्रम् 2-4-26 परवल्लिङ्गं द्वन्द्वतत्पुरुषयोः, the compound प्रातिपदिकम् ‘मुखाम्बुज’ is neuter since the latter member ‘अम्बुज’ of the compound is neuter. The compound declines like वन-शब्द:।

The विवक्षा is द्वितीया-एकवचनम्।

(6) मुखाम्बुज + अम् । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्‌।

(7) मुखाम्बुज + अम् । By 7-1-24 अतोऽम् – The affixes ‘सुँ’ and ‘अम्’ that follow a neuter अङ्गम् ending in the short vowel ‘अ’ take ‘अम्’ as their replacement. Note: 7-1-24 is required here to prevent 7-1-23 स्वमोर्नपुंसकात्‌ from applying.
1-3-4 न विभक्तौ तुस्माः prevents the ending letter ‘म्’ of the affix ‘अम्’ from getting इत्-सञ्ज्ञा।

(8) मुखाम्बुजम् । By 6-1-107 अमि पूर्वः – In place of a preceding अक् letter and the following vowel (अच्) belonging to the affix ‘अम्’ there is a single substitute of that preceding अक् letter.

Questions:

1. Where has the सूत्रम् 2-1-56 उपमितं व्याघ्रादिभिः सामान्याप्रयोगे been used in verses 10-20 of Chapter Two of the गीता?

2. Can you spot the affix ‘सन्’ in the verses?

3. Which कृत् affix is used to form the प्रातिपदिकम् ‘दुर्विषह’ (seen in the form दुर्विषहम् (नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम्) in the verses)?

4. In which word in the verses has the verbal root √पद् (पदँ गतौ ४. ६५) been used?

5. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the seventh case affix used in the form काले in the verses?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
Śrī Rāma said to Lakṣmaṇa – “I long (desire) to see Sītā’s lotus-like countenance.”

Easy questions:

1. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the affix ‘उ’ used in the form करोति?

2. Where has the सूत्रम् 6-4-105 अतो हेः been used in the verses?