46. Kadambakoraka-nyāya
The buds of Kadamba trees are the topic of this nyāya. These buds bloom simultaneously. If one blooms it's a given that all will bloom. One can remember how the streetlights of an area or all the lights pertaining to a drama performance lights up together. When many things happen simultaneously then this nyāya is used to describe them. It is also called kadambamukula-nyāya or kadambagolaka-nyāya.
47. Kanakakuṇḍala-nyāya
Kanaka = gold, kuṇḍala = ear ornament, gold is used to make variety of ornaments like ear rings, necklaces etc. Though they differ in the form, the content is the same. Even when earthen pots and other utensils are made, the ingredient is the same there too. When the concept that the brahman manifests as the world is to be propounded, this nyāya is used. The effect isn’t different from the cause is the import here.
48. Kapoṇiguḍa-nyāya
Kapoṇi means elbow, guḍa mean jaggery. One should lick the jaggery stuck on one’s elbow! Even though the jaggery is so near, even the fragrance is accessible to one’s nose it can be licked. Likewise many things apparently feel very near but still they are inaccessible. This nyāya is used to describe such situations.
49. Karibṛṃhita-nyāya
Kari means elephant, bṛṃhita means trumpet. Amarakośa says bṛṃhitaṃ karigarjanaṃ. Bṛṃhita itself is sufficient to denote this. Why is elephant mentioned explicitly? Isn’t it repetition? The answer is, such usages have been common since ancient times. So here bṛṃhita is taken to mean a roar, not specifically elephant’s. Thus the repetition is averted. Scholars opine when something gives a specific meaning already, when compounded with other words/adjectives as prefix it takes a general meaning instead. Another example is puṣpamālā. While mālā already means a garland, why is the word puṣpa(flower) added? Here mālā is taken to be just a collection of entities joined using a thread, not a garland specifically. There are more examples, gajaghaṭā, nīlendīvara, parvatādhityakā, vājimandurā, muktāhāra.
50. Karṇakaunteya-nyāya
Karṇa is also a kaunteya, i.e. son of Kuntī. When Śrī-kṛṣṇa reveals, “Karṇa! You are not the son of sūta (charioteer) but the son of Kuntī.” the illusion shattered. This is similar to rājaputravyādha-nyāya which can be seen later.
51. Kaṇṭhacāmīkara-nyāya
Forgetting the golden ornament in one’s own neck! Someone else will point out, “Why search something which is around your neck!” that leads to sheepishly accepting one’s mistake accompanied with the relief that the ornament is not lost. The vedāntins use this nyāya to illustrate the fact that we are indeed the manifestation of the parabrahman. But due to our own ignorance we have forgotten about it. When a guru reveals this one would realize this and attain the eternal state of ānanda.
This is like searching for the sheep which is placed on one’s own shoulders!
52. Kaṃbalanirṇejana-nyāya
Nirṇejana means to clean. When the farmer comes back home after his work he would clean his rug by repeatedly thrashing it on his leg. The rug gets cleansed and so would his legs. Thus with one action two things are accomplished. This is the same as ‘killing two birds with one stone’.
53. Kākatālīya-nyāya
This nyāya is related to crow and palm fruit. The crow was flying, by chance a palm fruit fell upon it and killed it! There is no specific causal relation for this to happen. When such accidents happen, they are called kākatālīya. This can be described in another way. The fruit wasn’t supposed to fall upon the crow, it just fell, but the crow somehow reached the place at the same time, caught the fruit and ate it. Both ways the import is the same. If the result is positive then the second interpretation can be taken, else the first one can be taken. stone’.
54. Kākadantaparīkṣā-nyāya
Does a crow possess teeth? If so, how many? Nothing useful comes out of this endeavor. When efforts are wasted on useless pursuits this can be used. The morbid taste of lazy people can be described using this nyāya.
55. Kākadadhighātaka-nyāya
A boy is assigned the work of protecting the pot containing curds by the curd-seller. She says, ‘beware of the crow!’ So the boy’s duty is to shoo away crows if they come for the curds. What if a dog comes? He’d shoo that away too. He wouldn’t ignore the dog thinking he wasn’t instructed to shoo away the dog. Here crow means any animal which would come for the curd. When some knowledge is imparted, all points aren’t covered. The listener should apply his own mind and understand the overall import. This needs some wisdom.
56. Kākākṣigolaka-nyāya
There is a perception that says that a crow has one eyeball. Depending on the situation it rolls it to the right or the left eye. When a word is related to both parts of a sentence, this is used. A variation is noted by Kāmandaka, “When two powerful kings are foes, a weakling shouldn’t join either side, but manage cordial relations with both like the kākākṣigolaka”.
57. Kāśakuśāvalaṃbana-nyāya
Kāśa is a type of grass. Kuśā is a strand of grass. When someone is drowning, he will try to grab even a strand of grass in the hope of finding support and surviving. But that strand would instead be uprooted and it will go along with him to his unfortunate end. When in debate, the losing side tries to come up with something just to survive and save face, the winning side refutes it, resulting in this situation. This nyāya is also called kuśakāśāvalaṃbana.
58. Kimārdrakavaṇijo vahitracintayā
Ārdraka means ginger. Vahitra means a ship. Why would someone selling ginger be concerned about the arrival of the ship? Ginger like coriander leaves is a small commodity. The seller who sells such a commodity wouldn’t have anything to do with a big ship bringing items in bulk. What would the appreciation or depreciation of gold mean to a destitute?
59. Kuḍyaṃ vinā citrakarma-nyaya
Drawing without a canvas/wall! It signifies a guess without basis. A house without a foundation. How long is the horn of the rabbit! The son of the barren woman is indeed intelligent! The sky-flower indeed is fragrant! All these point to the same thing.
This is the seventh part of the multi-part translation of the Kannada book "Sandarbha Sukti" by Mahamahopadhyaya Vidwan Dr. N Ranganatha Sharma. Thanks to Dr. Sharada Chaitra for granting us permission to translate this wonderful work. The original in Kannada can be read here
