Vedic and Philological Studies

Roots in ‘M’

The sound म् starts from the fundamental idea of finality. Limitation, close, confinement, depth, cavity, close embrace, are its original significance.

From the idea of limitation comes, first, to measure by limiting or marking off; to mark out, assign; to assort, compare by measurement; to define, outline,—so to form, construct or build, make, arrange; and from the sense of arrangement, to prepare, show or make a display.

All these are senses of the root मा which from the expansive sense of the आ naturally takes to itself the idea of spacious measurement or distribution, wide limits, broad or massive outlines. We get मानं from मा, measuring, or a measure, dimension, standard, rule, proof or authority and in निर्माणं building, formation; also comparative measurement or likeness, मापः, with its nominal verb मापयति; मासः, a measure of time, month. The words month and moon obviously derive from the same origin. मा itself is used as a noun in the sense of measure. We have too मः from the short root म, which means Time, or the moon, and the negative particle मा, in which limitation takes the sense of denial, from an original idea of marking off from other things, exception.

The close sound मि takes readily the sense of narrow measurement, close limitation. We find मि in the sense to measure, to build or to establish, मित् column or post, originally a boundary mark; मित, measured, bounded, defined, investigated, and, characteristically, moderate, scanty or sparing; also built or established; मितिः, measuring, measure or weight; proof, determination or accurate knowledge; मीरः, limit or boundary comes from this root. Another development of the idea of measurement or standard gives us मे in the sense of to exchange or barter.

Neither मु nor मृ lend themselves as readily to the sense of

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measurement; they prefer the kindred ideas of ending or confinement; nevertheless even within the limits of classical Sanscrit we find मर्यादा in the sense of landmark, as well as rule of propriety, decorum; but the latter may as well proceed from the sense of limitation or confining rule of self-restraint as from the sense of measure or standard.

From the idea of limitation or finality, we get, secondly, the sense of end, terminus, boundary, limit; of close or finale; so the close of all, death or even mukti; and all kindred significations. We have म, slaying, destroying, deadly, in the sense of poison, also of Yama, the lord of death; मा, to conclude, infer; मी, to kill, destroy; to impair; to hurt, violate, transgress, and, intransitively, to die; to be lost or go astray, all evidently derived from the passive idea of end, death, loss or the active idea of destruction and injury, bringing to an end or limiting and lessening; मुः in the sense of funeral pile, final emancipation or Shiva, the Lord of destruction, mukti, finality. But the true root for the sense of finality or death is मृ, to die with the transitive मृृ, to kill with its numerous derivatives मृतिः, मृत्युः, मरः, death; मरकः, मारिः, plague or pestilence; मरणं, मरतः, मरिमन्, death; मारणं, slaying; मारः, slaughter, death, the Destroyer; मर्म, a vital part; मरुः, a desert, wilderness, rocky or mountainous country; मर्यः, मर्तः, मर्त्यः, mortal; मर्या, मर्यादा, limit, boundary, border, end, bank, contract; and numerous others.

From the same idea of limitation we get another shade of significance, the sense of confinement, control, containing or contents,—or embrace.We find मः as a name of Shiva, Brahma & Vishnu who embrace & control all things, मम्, contents, substance, wealth, welfare. The cases of अहं, मां, मे etc spring from the same idea of I as the containing self. The mother who bears or contains the child in her womb is मा, माता. मा means too the Goddess of Wealth. This root also gives us मात्रा, continent, contents, substance, wealth, limit. मा itself means to be in, contained. From मि we have मित्रं, that which we embrace, a friend, lover and मित्रः who in the Veda, is the God of the emotions, मय containing, comprising, made of, मि to comprehend, know. From मुषक, मुः meaning bondage, confinement, मू to bind or fasten, मूतम्

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anything bound, collected, woven together. From मृ, मर्करा, a pot, vessel, cavity, hollow. From this sense of depth, hollowness we get the idea of a deep sound, murmur, roar, bellow; मा to roar, sound, Latin mugire, to bellow; मर्मर from मृ, rustle, murmur, मर्मरी the wind-haunted, rustling pine-tree.

But these do not exhaust the uses of the म् sound which we find in the primary roots of this family. From a study of Vedic Sanskrit and of Tamil it appears that the idea of limitation must have been modified to cover the idea of the extreme limit, the highest finality and hence the significance of extreme, supreme, —a general supremacy or excellence. This general idea came to be specified in application to particular forms of extreme being and to cover the idea of flourishing vigour, vigorous life or action, strength, swiftness, brilliance, swift motion etc. Thus it comes about that the same root which means to die or wither (मृ, μαραίνω etc) means also to flourish, grow, bloom; the same peculiarity of opposite meanings which we shall afterwards find in many roots of this and other classes. The idea of a goal, strong in the म sound, seems also to have suggested movement towards a goal. So also we find मृळ् etc. The word मर्यः, a mortal, seems to have meant in the Veda, strong, like नृ which also came to mean man; मर्यः even later means a lover, a horse, stallion etc. We have the Hindi मरद in the sense of man, masculine; the Tamil mara, strong, maravar, Kshatriyas, the strong men or fighters. मरुत् & मरुतः in the sense of god, and the respectful address मारिष appear to have the same origin. We have too मरुत्वत् for Indra orHanuman, where मरुत् must mean strong. From the idea of swift or darting motion or merely motion we get मीनः, fish, मी, to go, move; मयूरः, मरुकः, the dancing peacock; मूत्र, urine (flowing discharge); मृत्, the moving earth (cf गो, जगती, इला & many other synonyms, all with the sense of motion); मृत्तिका, मृत्सा, मृत्स्नाम्, मृत्स्ना, the material of earth, clay, dust; मरः, earth; मरुत्, wind, air, breeze, breath; मरालः in the sense of horse; मर्यः, horse or camel. मरुलम्, मीरः, मम्, मरुत्वम् where there is the sense of water, ocean, have this origin.We know the root मु to have had the sense of motion from the Latin movere, motus etc. The sense of flourishing, blooming, soft, growing, we get from the Tamil

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maram, a tree, S. मरारः, a granary, मरन्दः, juice of flowers, मराल, soft, unctuous, bland, मरुः, a kind of plant, मरुत्, मरुवकः, मरुवः, मरालः, a pomegranate grove, collection of pomegranate trees. From the sense of shining, glittering, white, bright, we have मुः, tawny or brilliantly coloured gleaming red-brown, मृतण्डः, the sun, मरालः, flamingo, swan, duck, horse, मरीचिः, a ray of light, light, Krishna (cf हरिः meaning also a horse, lion, etc), मरीचिका, mirage. Cf the Latin marmor, Greek μαρμαίρω. मरीचं, pepper, is obviously from the kindred sense of तेजस् applied to the taste & smell. We may also note the words मरूण्डा, a high-browed woman and मरीमृज, repeatedly rubbing, where मरू & मरी seem to have the sense of high or persistent from this general sense of excellence or extreme quality.

We have gathered therefore from the meanings of the simple M roots and their direct derivatives, even in the limits of classical Sanscrit, a number of fundamental meanings persistent & recurrent in all such roots & derivatives without regard to the variations of the assistant vowel. We need not suppose that all the original basic significances of the M sound are to be found in this limited area; a number may, indeed must have perished in the long course of Sanscritic development from the original Aryan tongue to the Vedic vocabulary & forms & from that again to the classical. We have now to examine the secondary roots of this family and their derivatives & inquire, first, whether the results already gained are confirmed, secondly, whether they supply us with fresh significances of which the primary roots had lost hold.

I take first the guttural roots of the M class, मक्, मिक्, कुक्, कृक्, pure or nasalised (मंक् etc), मख्, मिख्, मुख्, मृख्, मग्, मिग्, मुग्, मृग् & मध्, मिध्, मुध्, मृध् and the nasal forms of those three groups. We must not expect to find all these roots still extant or recoverable by their traces in the comparatively modern language of the epic & later writers, but we may fairly assume that they all at one time existed. Here the first significance which strikes us by its frequency is the sense of motion and the kindred idea of swiftness.We find मख् & मंख्, to go, move, creep, मंक् to go, move, मक्क् & मंग् in the same sense, मंघ् go, move, speed, start or set

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out. We find मंक्षु signifying immediately, quickly, मंगिनी a boat, मक्षिका a fly or bee, मेकः a goat, from the sense of leaping in मिक्, मेकलः in the same sense, मार्ग a way, path, from an original मृग् to move, go, to go after an end, go to a goal, walk, travel, seek, leading to the modern sense of मृग् to hunt, pursue etc; मृगः, an animal, from मृग् to move, especially the swiftest of all animals or perhaps the most hunted, the deer; and all the numerous derivatives of this root; मर्कः, the vital breath or an ape, from मृक् to move, flow or to leap, be active; मर्कटः a spider, ape or crane; मर्कटकः in the same sense, but also applied to some kind of fish, possibly from its darting or leaping motion. Finally we have मांक्ष् to wish or long for, which, from the analogy of ईह् & other verbs of wishing must have started from the sense of motion towards, going after, pursuing which we find in मृग्.

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