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.
