Thread by @MisraNityanand

[Thread]

What does it mean when elders bless us in Sanskrit as “āyuṣmān bhava” (आयुष्मान् भव, for a male) or “āyuṣmatī bhava” (आयुष्मती भव, for a female)?

The commonly understood meaning is “may you have a long life”.

1/n

This is correct, for the primary meaning of ‘āyuṣmat’ (आयुष्मत्), from which ‘āyuṣmān’ and ‘āyuṣmatī’ are derived, is “long-lived” (Apte).

However, this is not the only meaning.

The suffix ‘-mat’ in ‘āyuṣmat’ also has the sense of praise.

2/n

Hence, another meaning of “āyuṣmān bhava” or “āyuṣmatī bhava” is “may you have a praiseworthy (=noble) life”.

This meaning, “having a praiseworthy/noble life”, is not listed in Sanskrit dictionaries. However, it is as per the rules of Sanskrit grammar.

3/n

In Kālidāsa’s Meghadūta (2.38), the hero addresses the cloud as ‘āyuṣman’ (vocative form).

A cloud does not have a long life, for it vanishes after a few days when it rains.

So why does the hero call the cloud ‘āyuṣman’?

4/n

In his Sanskrit commentary on this verse, Māllinātha explains the word ‘āyuṣman’ as ‘paropakāra-ślāghya-jīvita’ (परोपकारश्लाघ्यजीवित, “O you whose life is praiseworthy on account of ‘paropakāra’ or benevolence”).

M R Kale translates it as “O you of long (or noble) life”.

5/n

Thus, the blessing “āyuṣmān bhava” (आयुष्मान् भव, for a male) or “āyuṣmatī bhava” (आयुष्मती भव, for a female) means both, “may you have a long life” and “may you have a praiseworthy/noble life”.

Such is the beauty of Sanskrit.

n/n