Friday, November 3, 2023

Mahabharata Quiz - 103

 

Question – 103

What does a nimitta mean? Why Arundhati- Vasishtha appearance was mentioned as a nimitta by Vyasa?

Answer:

The Vyakarana meaning of nimitta is that it is an unstable first cause from which a stable effect is formed.

(“yaḥ prekṣāpūrvakārī bhavati saḥ adhruveṇa nimittena dhruvaṃ nimittamupādatte vedikāṃ puṇḍarīkaṃ vā”. Maha Bhshya. on I.1.26 Vart.5.)

When the cause is ‘adhruva’ (not fixed, non-permanent) but it gives a result which is Dhruva – that is stable and fixed, such a cause is known as nimitta. So, in a nimitta, the cause is a temporary occurrence! But what is expected of it will have a lasting effect.

Since Vyasa mentioned Arundhati appearing to have kept Vasishtha at her back is a nimitta, it automatically means that it was not a permanent or long-lasting appearance. It appeared differently for flash seconds or minutes. That causes terror because it means that something is wrong cosmically.

Immediately following this observation Vyasa also talked about the mark on the moon having changed its position. That also implies that something went wrong in the celestial region.

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