Narapatijayacarya 1: śāstrasaṃgrahādhyāyaḥ

Oṃ.

Now begins:

The Victorious Conduct of Kings (Narapatijayacaryā).

Equipped with the Sanskrit and Hindi commentary 'Subodhinī'.

Now begins the chapter on the compendium of the teaching.

Now the benediction:

Unmanifest, imperishable, tranquil, utterly dear to yogins, / Whose nature is all-bliss—to that omnipresent Brahman I bow.

Bowing to Bhāratī, who is praised by various gods and wise men, / And who is eager to grant abundant intelligence to people, / I, whose name is celebrated in the world as Narapati, / Shall expound this treatise named 'The Victorious Conduct of Kings'.

Having bowed to her who is adorned with a vīṇā, I, Gaṇeśa, whose surname is Pāṭhaka,

Compose the Subodhinī commentary on the 'Victorious Conduct of Kings'.

'Unmanifest...' An ellipsis of 'I' is to be supplied. Unmanifest = not manifest, of an unrevealed form; imperishable = eternal; tranquil = free from affliction; utterly = exceedingly; dear to yogins = an object of love to those endowed with yoga; whose nature is all-bliss = (bliss is the nature of Brahman); omnipresent = all-pervading; to such a singular Brahman I bow. 'Various...' Praised by various—of many kinds—gods, deities or learned men, that is, worthy of reverence; eager to grant abundant, superior intelligence, skill, to people, folk; bowing, paying homage to Bhāratī, Sarasvatī; I, whose name is renowned in the world as Narapati; the victorious conduct of kings = narapati is a king, his victorious conduct is his course of victory; thus, I shall expound this svarodaya treatise named 'The Victorious Conduct of Kings'.

Having first heard the seven yāmalas, as well as the Yuddhajayārṇava, / The Kaumārī, the Kauśala, and the Yoginījālasaṃcara,

The Rakṣoghna, the Trimuṇḍa, the Svarasiṃha, the Svarārṇava, / The Bhūvala, that named Bhairava, the Svarabhairava section,

The celebrated tantra called Raṇa, the Siddhānta, the Jayapaddhati, / The Pustakendra, the Ḍhauka, the Śrīdarśa, and likewise astronomy and astrology,

Many mantras and diagrammatic devices, deceptive warfares, / And having understood the application of tantras and knowledge concerning the submarine fire,

Having myself seen the essence of all these treatises, / I shall proclaim an extraction of the essence out of compassion for all living beings.

'Having first heard...' Having heard, having studied these texts, having seen the essence of all treatises, so that there may be an extraction of the essence,

I shall speak. The rest is clear.

Now the primacy of the science of sounds:

Even if an army is fully equipped with foot-soldiers, horses, elephants, and rulers of the earth, / Still a king devoid of svarodaya meets with defeat.

Those valiant men cross the ocean of battle with their two arms / Only so long as their sounds do not fall into the diagrammatic wheel of the submarine fire.

'Foot-soldiers, horses...' Svarodayī = one who fully knows the science of sounds; that is, a knower of sounds, an astrologer; a king devoid of such a person, even though endowed with the full equipment for universal conquest consisting of foot-soldiers, horses, elephants, and rulers of the earth, even if the army is complete, still meets with defeat, that is, flees from battle. 'Cross only so long...' Those valiant men, soldiers enriched with sound-strength as stated by the knower of sounds and astrologer, [cross] the ocean of battle, the sea of war, with their arms, so long as those [sounds] stated by the astrologer do not fall into the diagrammatic wheel of the submarine fire. Vaḍavā is the mare [Aśvinī]; the fire in her mouth is the submarine fire; in its diagrammatic wheel, its group. That is, as long as the sounds, such as the morae of one's own name, are not set, so long only do they reach the other shore of battle.

If a king without a knower of sounds should somehow be victorious in battle, / That is just like the woodworm's letter, or like a blind man catching a sparrow.

A king in whose house there is not even a single master of the science of sounds— / The kingdom of that lord of the earth is certainly like a plantain trunk.

One who constantly practices the science of sounds, speaks the truth, and has conquered his senses— / The king who carries out his command is attended by the fortune of victory.

'If somehow...' Even without a knower of sounds, one who knows the science of sounds, if a king should somehow be victorious in battle, in war, that is like a woodworm's letter. Just as a woodworm, a kind of insect, while cutting wood, carves a letter therein without having any deliberate effort in making that letter; and just as a blind man [catches] a sparrow, a kind of bird; so it is with an army marching for battle devoid of the knowledge of sounds. 'In whose...' The king in whose house there is not even a single master of the science of sounds, a knower of sounds, the kingdom of that lord of the earth is like a plantain trunk, that is to say, pithless like the interior of a plantain tree. 'In the science of sounds...' Easy to understand.

Now he states the praise of one's own strength: / Ten by one, a hundred by those [ten], a thousand by the number of a hundred— / A king strong through svarodaya effortlessly slays tenfold.

One should not fight even with flowers as long as one is devoid of svarodaya; / When the strength of svarodaya is obtained, one should fight with crores of weapons.

A knower of sounds, a knower of omens, an astrologer, a master of mantras, / And a knower of Keralī divination are proclaimed the five jewels of kings.

Sound-diagrams, diagrams, earthly strengths and [other] strengths, / Astrology and omens—I shall explain these six limbs.

And whatever twenty sound-diagrams have been declared in svarodaya / Across all the yāmalas, those I shall now declare:

The mora, the phoneme, the planet, Jupiter, the zodiacal sign, the asterism-aggregate conjunction, / The twelve-year, the year, the half-year, the season, the month,

The diagrammatic wheel of the lunar fortnight, day, and nāḍikā, the conjunction of lunar day, weekday, and lunar mansion, / And observation of the elements in a direction, and I shall state the fruit of the day.

'Ten by one...' A king strong through svarodaya, possessing the strength of svarodaya, effortlessly slays, kills ten warriors with one hero. Thus with ten warriors one hundred, with the count of a hundred a thousand; that is, a single unit kills ten times the enemy. 'Even with flowers...' The meaning is clear. 'A knower of sounds...' Easy. 'Sound-diagrams...' Clear. Whatever twenty sound-diagrams are in the yāmalas, those I [shall declare] hereafter.

I will state [them]: the mora-sound, phoneme-sound, planet-sound, Jupiter-sound, zodiacal sign-sound, lunar mansion-sound, aggregate-sound, astronomical conjunction-sound, twelve-year-sound, annual-sound, solstitial half-year-sound, season-sound, monthly-sound, lunar fortnight-sound, daily-sound, subtle channel-sound, / lunar day-weekday-asterism-conjunction-sound, directional sound, momentary sound, and the daily-fruit-sound.

And whatever [diagrams] were known by me in earlier proclaimed treatises, / I shall declare the names of those eighty-four diagrammatic wheels:

The eighty-one-square diagram, the hundred-square diagram, the navāṃśa diagram, / the parasol diagram, the throne diagram, and this fivefold tortoise diagram,

namely: the earth, the region, the city, the field, and the house-tortoise as the fifth; / the lotus diagram, that named the serpent-lord, and that considered the Rāhu-time-fire diagram;

the Sun-time-fire diagram, and likewise the Moon-time-fire diagram; / the dread-time-fire diagram, and that considered the trident-time-fire diagram;

the diagram considered the time-fire in the conjunction of the Sun and Moon, / and the impact diagram should be known as the seventh—and [these are] the seven time-fires;

the lunar day, the weekday, and the lunar mansion; and threefold is the kulākula; / the pot diagram is declared to be twofold, born from zodiacal signs and lunar mansions;

the phoneme-class-exposition piercing, and threefold the Tumburu; / the earthly, celestial, and traveller [diagrams]; the subtle channel diagram is considered twofold;

the wheel of time; the pair of serpents; that called solar; and that arisen from the Moon; / the poet diagram is declared to be twofold, preceded by the master of the place and the asterism;

that named the threshing-floor is declared twofold, beginning with the lunar mansion occupied by Kṛttikā, etc.; / the group of eight fort diagrams is declared through the division into four-sided and so forth;

elephant, horse, chariot, array, spear, sword, knife, bow, / Saturnian, service, man, child, and the shower of bird-class gains;

the diagram arising from seven lines; the Moon-and-Sun [diagram] of five lines; / the threefold matrix diagram should be understood in the hawk and gateway [diagrams];

that called serpent-plow-sowing-bull; the seven subtle channels; / the diagram of the place of the year, the month diagram, and that designated the day diagram.

Having understood all these diagrams, one should engage in battle; / here [on earth] one will conquer a king who is an equal of Indra—of this there is no doubt.

[On the words] 'In earlier proclaimed treatises': [the meaning is] easy to understand. Beginning with 'eighty-one' up to 'all these', the names of the diagrammatic wheels are stated, and it is easily understood.

Now therefore I shall declare in full the powers of the earth by name, / in the duel of poets, in a fort, in the fourfold army, and in great battle.

Where an enemy is equal or superior by svarodaya systems and diagrammatic wheels, / there in battle strength must be imparted by the powers of the earth for those desiring victory.

I shall speak their names, which are renowned in the Brahmayāmala, / eighty-four in number, through whose strength one is victorious in battle:

Auḍrī, Jālandharī, Pūrṇā, Kāmā, Kola, Ekavīrikā, / Śilīndhrā, Mahāmārī, Kṣetrapālī, and Vaṃśajā;

the one declared Rudrakālānalī, Kālarekhā, Nirāmayā, / Jayalakṣmī, Mahālakṣmī, Jayā, Vijayabhairavī;

Bālā, Yogeśvarī, Caṇḍī, Māyā, Bhuṃbhukakartarī, / Śārdūlī, Siṃhilī, Tanvī, Mahāmāyā, Maheśvarī;

Vevakoṭi, Śivā, Śakti, Dhūmrā, Mālā, Varāṭikā, / Trimuṇḍā, Matsarī, Dharmā, Mṛtā, Śiṣṭā, Kṣayākṣayā;

Durmati, Pravarā, Gaurī, Kālī, Nārasīṃhī, Balā, / Khecarī, Bhūcarī, Guhyā, Dvādaśī, Vṛṣṭikevalā;

Trailokyavijayā, Saurī, Karālī, Vaḍavāparā, / Raudrī, Śiśumātaṅgī, Abhedyā, Dahanī, Jitā;

Bahulā, Vargabhūmi, Kapālī, Anilānalā, / the ground of the Sun and Moon's discs, and the ground going to the ascendant, planets, and signs;

the Rāhukālānalī ground; the sound ground is considered twofold; / the trimonthly Rudra, and eightfold Rāhu;

the Moon of six kinds; the Sun fourfold; the Yoginī threefold; / and the wheel of time of three kinds, born from lunar days, asterisms, and weekdays.

Whoever enters battle here knowing these powers of the earth, / his enemies perish like clouds struck by the wind.

[The commentator] states the praise of the powers of the earth: [on the verse beginning] 'And by svarodaya systems'. If the enemy is equal, identical, or superior in sound, childhood, and so forth, then strength must be given by the powers of the earth to kings seeking victory. Upon the inquiry 'How is he to be conquered by me?', having given him the powers of the earth based on sound, he should equip him for battle. He states the names of the powers of the earth: [the verses beginning with] 'Auḍrī', etc., are clear in meaning.

When the enemy is equal or superior in name, by sound circles and powers of the earth, / when the enemy is superior in position and army, endowed with strength and skill,

when the enemy is unbreakable, impenetrable, insurmountable, and difficult to conquer, / I shall declare the means of victory: strength through mantras, diagrammatic devices, and the like:

battle consecration, initiation, battle worship, the battle bracelet, / the hero’s headband, the headband in battle, and the tying of the victory headband;

the girdle, the armor ritual placement, seal, protection, and tunic; / medicinal herb, forehead mark, amulets, pills, and cowries;

weapons for planetary conjunctions and astrological hours, weapon protection and breaking, / various ointments for weapons, and tying feathers to arrows;

the terrifying [horn], the large horn, the drum, the tabor, and the preparation of ashes; / killing, bewitching, paralyzing, creating enmity, driving away, and subjugation;

a banner, a peacock feather, a diagrammatic device, destruction of the enemy's magical knowledge, / and the pacification of one’s own army must be performed by those desiring victory.

The man who engages in combat having understood these powers, / for him no king, even one equal to Indra, is unconquerable.

[On the words] 'When the enemy is equal or superior': very clear. [On the word] 'Unbreakable': I will explain the powers of mantras, diagrammatic devices, and medicinal herbs so that victory over the enemy becomes easy. The rest is easy to understand.

Now, the branch of astrology:

Calculation, practical affairs, and clear knowledge of genethliacal astrology— / I shall declare three-branched astrology in the Victorious Conduct of Kings based on Svarodaya:

the computation of planets, lunar days, and so forth; the rising and setting of fast-moving [planets]; / the inimical, friendly, and neutral planets; the strength and weakness of the sign lords;

exaltations, debilitations, neutrals, and whatever are the aspect places; / transit, and likewise astrological piercing, and again sub-periods within major periods;

the day-lord, and likewise cusps, kick piercing, secondary planets, / auspicious and inauspicious fruits, and the virtues and defects of lunar days and lunar mansions, I will declare.

The strength of the Moon and asterisms is to be known, as well as Bhadrā and Tripuṣkara, / Yamaghaṇṭa, Yamadaṃṣṭra, and likewise the argala diagrammatic wheel;

the asterisms of gods, rākṣasas, and humans, facing sideways, upward, and downward, / as well as the infant, youth, adult, old, and dead sounds;

likewise the Kālavelā, the horā, the price of the watch, and Kulika; / and I shall describe the astrological piercing, both accomplished and swiftly taking life away;

Parigha, Śūladhiṣṇya, the weekday yoga, and the Yoginī, / Digbhadrā, Kālapāśa, the setting of Rāhu, and Bhārgava;

I shall describe the threefold origin of shadow, proceeding through the eight [divisions] of the day among the three; / the length of the day, the daily planetary motion, and the measure of shadow-rising;

the sixty-three [types of] accomplished shadow, and the twenty-seven afflicted asterisms; / the rising of the ascendant for one's own country, and the determination of the ascendant by means of an instrument;

likewise the measure of the ascendant, the horā, the dṛkkāṇa of the zodiacal sign, the navāṃśa, / the dvādaśāṃśa, the triṃśāṃśa, and the computation of the rising and setting aṃśas.

From the ascendant I shall explain auspicious and inauspicious results, the determination of military march, marriage, and so forth, / the consecration of deities, initiation, and the departure on a military march and entry [into a city];

the arrangement of house-lamps and commodity prices, likewise the kālaviṃśopaka, / the conjunction for rainfall, the chapter on commodity prices, and the determination of years, months, and days;

the lunar day and so forth, the planets, the Moon, clearly originating from the rising of that time; / its state, desired creation, and the division of owls I declare;

all the twitchings of bodily limbs, and whichever signs of death there are, / the afflicted signs of death, and their pacification I shall explain.

Whatever wise men know this entire ancillary branch of astrology, / one should recognise that like a lamp it destroys the darkness of delusion.

The potakī bird, the piṅgalā owl, the crow, the yakṣa, and the jackal in succession— / I shall describe this fivefold jewel in the doctrine of omens, which is the sixth limb.

Regarding "Gaṇitam" [in 1.1.53]: starting from "gaṇitam" up to this point, "pañcaratnamidam", the meanings are clear.

Thus ends the first chapter in the Narapatijayacaryā.