Today we will look at the form मातापितरौ  mAd from श्रीमद्भागवतम् 5.8.9.

अहो बतायं हरिणकुणकः कृपण ईश्वररथचरणपरिभ्रमणरयेण स्वगणसुहृद्बन्धुभ्यः परिवर्जितः शरणं च मोपसादितो मामेव मातापितरौ भ्रातृज्ञातीन्यौथिकांश्चैवोपेयाय नान्यं कञ्चन वेद मय्यतिविस्रब्धश्चात एव मया मत्परायणस्य पोषणपालनप्रीणनलालनमनसूयुनानुष्ठेयं शरण्योपेक्षादोषविदुषा ।। ५-८-९ ।।
नूनं ह्यार्याः साधव उपशमशीलाः कृपणसुहृद एवंविधार्थे स्वार्थानपि गुरुतरानुपेक्षन्ते ।। ५-८-१० ।।

श्रीधर-स्वामि-टीका
आसक्तिं प्रपञ्चयति – अहो इत्यादिना इति कृपानुषङ्ग इत्येतत्पर्यन्तेन । ईश्वररथचरणः कालचक्रं तस्य परिभ्रमणवेगेन स्वगणादिभ्यो विभ्रंशितः मा इति मां च शरणं प्रापितः मामेव मातापित्रादिबुद्ध्योपेयाय प्राप्तः । यौथिकान्यूथसंघातिनः । अनसूयुना एतन्निमित्तं मम स्वार्थो भ्रश्यतीति दोषदृष्टिमकुर्वता ।। ९ ।। तदेवाह – नूनं हीति ।। १० ।।

Gita Press translation – “Oh, torn from its class as well as from its near and dear ones and alas! brought under my protection by the fast rotating wheel of Time, this helpless young deer has accepted me alone for its parents, kith and kin and mates, knowing no one else, and has great confidence in me. Hence it behooves me (too) to nourish, protect (from enemies), gratify and fondle in an unavailing spirit this fawn exclusively depending on me, knowing as I do that it is sinful to forsake him who seeks my protection (9). Surely worthy and pious souls who are given to self-control and are friends of the poor ignore their own big interests for the sake of such (wretched) creatures (10).”

(1) माता च पिता च = मातापितरौ – parents (mother and father).

(2) मातृ सुँ + पितृ सुँ । By 2-2-29 चार्थे द्वन्द्वः – Two or more terms having the designation पदम् and standing in a relation expressible by ‘च’ (‘and’) may optionally compound to yield a compound called द्वन्द्वः।

(3) मातृ सुँ + पितृ सुँ । As per the वार्तिकम् (under 2-2-33 अजाद्यदन्तम्‌) अभ्यर्हितं च, we place ‘मातृ सुँ’ in the prior position in the compound because the mother commands greater respect than the father. Otherwise, as per the वार्तिकम् (under 2-2-33 अजाद्यदन्तम्‌) लघ्वक्षरं पूर्वम्‌ the term ‘पितृ सुँ’ would have been placed in the prior position.

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

(4) मातृ + पितृ । 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) मात् आनँङ् + पितृ । By 6-3-25 आनङ् ऋतो द्वन्द्वे – When the final term of the compound follows, there is a substitution of ‘आनँङ्’ (in place of the penultimate term) in a द्वन्द्व: compound whose terms – i) all end in the letter ‘ऋ’ and ii) denote a relationship either via knowledge/study or birth. (Since the parents are jointly involved in the birth of their offspring, they do have a relationship via birth.)
As per 1-1-53 ङिच्च, only the ending letter ‘ऋ’ of ‘मातृ’ is substituted with ‘आनँङ्’।

(6) मातान् + पितृ । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-2 उपदेशेऽजनुनासिक इत्, 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम् and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।
Note: Here ‘मातान्’ has the designation पदम् by 1-4-14 सुप्तिङन्तं पदम् with the help of 1-1-62 प्रत्ययलोपे प्रत्ययलक्षणम्। This allows 8-2-7 नलोपः प्रातिपदिकान्तस्य to apply in the next step.

(7) मातापितृ । By 8-2-7 नलोपः प्रातिपदिकान्तस्य।

As per the सूत्रम् 2-4-26 परवल्लिङ्गं द्वन्द्वतत्पुरुषयोः, the compound प्रातिपदिकम् ‘मातापितृ’ is masculine since the final member ‘पितृ’ of the compound is masculine. This द्वन्द्वः compound (which expresses इतरेतरयोगः) is dual in number because it has two members.

The विवक्षा is द्वितीया-द्विवचनम्।

(8) मातापितृ + औट् । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्। Note: The affix ‘औट्’ has the सर्वनामस्थान-सञ्ज्ञा here as per 1-1-43 सुडनपुंसकस्य। This allows 7-3-110 to apply below.

(9) मातापितृ + औ । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम् and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

(10) मातापितर् + औ । By 7-3-110 ऋतो ङिसर्वनामस्थानयोः – The ending letter ‘ऋ’ of a अङ्गम् gets a गुणः replacement, when followed by the affix ‘ङि’ (सप्तमी-एकवचनम्) or an affix with the designation सर्वनामस्थानम्। By 1-1-51 उरण् रपरः, in the place of ऋवर्ण: if an अण् letter (‘अ’, ‘इ’, ‘उ’) comes as a substitute, it is always followed by a ‘रँ’ (‘र्’, ‘ल्’) letter.

= मातापितरौ ।

Questions:

1. Commenting on the सूत्रम् 6-3-25 आनङ् ऋतो द्वन्द्वे (used in step 5) the तत्त्वबोधिनी says – न चाकारमात्रमेव विधीयतामिति वाच्यम्। ‘उरण् रपरः’ इति रपरप्रसङ्गात्। Please explain.

2. Which compound in the verses is a द्वन्द्व: compound constructed समाहारे?

3. Can you spot the affix यत् in the verses?

4. From which verbal root is the प्रातिपदिकम् ‘आर्य’ (used in the form आर्या: (पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्) in the verses) derived?

5. Where has the सूत्रम् 6-3-74 तस्मान्नुडचि been used in the verses?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“My parents have passed away.” Paraphrase to “My parents have gone to heaven.” Use the अव्ययम् ‘स्वर्’ for ‘heaven.’

Easy questions:

1. Where has the verbal root √इ (इण् गतौ २. ४०) been used in the verses?

2. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the elision of the letter ‘न्’ in the form भ्रश्यति used in the commentary?