8 Limbs from the Outside In
“Why . . . when you desire to purify your soul, do you first of all deal with your body . . . ? In order that it may not hinder, or, to put it better, so that it may be the means of promoting purity of soul and enlightenment of mind.”
The eight limbs of Patanjali yoga are often shown as limbs of a tree and sometimes thought of in terms of the limbs of the body. But there is a definition of the English word limb that is more in keeping with the Vedantic view that the 8 limbs are layers that begin from the furthest point outside the body, our relationship to others, and proceed to move inward. There are also definitions of the Sanskrit anga that more in keeping with this view as well as other views that are worth considering.
We typically start and stop with this definition of limb:
"part or member," Old English lim "limb of the body; any part of an animal body, distinct from the head and trunk;" main branch of a tree," from Proto-Germanic *limu- (source also of Old Norse limr "limb," lim "small branch of a tree"), a variant of *lithu- (source of Old English liþ, Old Frisian lith, Old Norse liðr, Gothic liþus "a limb;" and with prefix ga-, source of German Glied "limb, member").
The unetymological -b began to appear late 1500s for no etymological reason (perhaps by influence of limb (n.2)). The Old English plural was often limu; limen and other plural forms in -n lasted into Middle English. Since c. 1400 especially of a leg; in Victorian English this usage was somewhat euphemistic, "out of affected or prudish unwillingness to use the word leg" [Century Dictionary]. However in Old and Middle English, and until lately in dialects, it could mean "any visible body part":
But an older definition fits more the the idea of limbs as layers, edges, or borders:
limb (n.2)
late 14c., "edge of a quadrant or other instrument," from Latin limbus "ornamental border, hem, fringe, edge," a word of uncertain origin. Klein suggests it is cognate with Sanskrit lambate "hang down limply" and English limp (adj.). Tucker writes that "the sense appears to be that of something which twists, goes round, or binds ... not of something which hangs loose," and suggests cognates in Lithuanian linta "ribbon," Old Norse linnr "whether." De Vaan tends to agree with Klein and writes, "In view of the phoneme *b, the very specific meaning of limbus and its absence from the oldest literature, the etymology remains uncertain." Astronomical sense of "edge of the disk of a heavenly body" first attested 1670s. Related: Limbal.
Source:
limb | Origin and meaning of limb by Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com)
Consider these various definitions in Sanskrit and other languages.
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary
In Sanskrit, Āṅga (आङ्ग).—a. (-gī f.) [अङ्ग-स्वार्थे-अण् (aṅga-svārthe-aṇ)]
1) Bodily, corporeal.
2) (In gram.) Relating to the base (aṅga).
3) Having limbs or parts.
4) Relating to the minor personages in a drama.
5) Belonging to a portion of the Vedas.
6) Produced or born in the country of the Aṅgas.
-gaḥ A prince of the Aṅga country.
-gam A delicate body.
Nāṭya-śāstra
1a) Aṅga (अङ्ग) refers to “the six major limbs” with which are perfromed the various āṅgika, or, “gestures” (physical representations), according to the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 8.
The following are regarded as the six major limbs (aṅga):
śiras (head),
hasta (hands),
uras (breast),
sides (pārśva),
waist (kaṭi),
pāda (feet).
Source:Academia.edu: The Nāṭyaśāstra: the Origin of the Ancient Indian Poetics
The six elements (aṅga) of diction were:
the so-called division (viccheda) during a pause (virāma);
recital proper (arpaṇa), which was of a representative nature and filled the auditorium with a beautifully modulated voice;
the conclusion (visarga) marking the end of a sentence;
coherence (anubandha), which prevented pauses between words linked by meaning, up to the prohibition to inhale during the utterance;
colourfulness (dīpana), responsible for the gradual increase of vocal power as the sounds of the three basic pitches were pronounced;
and abatement (praśamana), which allowed lowering of the pitch without accompanying dissonant sounds
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
[«previous (A) next»] — Anga in Shaktism glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Śāktism
Aṅga (अङ्ग) is the name of a Śāktapīṭha mentioned in the Kulārṇavatantra. The Kulārṇava-tantra is an important 11th century work for the Kaula school of Śāktism. It refers to eighteen such Śākta-pīṭhas (e.g. Aṅga) which is defined as a sacred sanctuary of Devī located here on earth. According to legend, there are in total fifty-one such sanctuaries (pīṭha) on earth, created from the corresponding parts of Devī’s body,
Source: Pure Bhakti: Bhagavad-gita (4th edition)
Aṅga (अङ्ग) refers to “(1) Limb, division, part (2) The various practices of devotion such as hearing and chanting”. (cf. Glossary page from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā).
2) Aṅga (अङ्ग) refers to “changes in the body” and represents one of the eight divisions of Nimittaśāstra (“science of omens”), possibly corresponding to “the eight divisions of the science of omens” (aṣṭādhikaraṇīgrantha), according to chapter 2.6.—(Cf. Uttarādhyayana with Kamalasaṃyama’s commentary 31. 19, pp. 506-7).—See Rājendra, aṭṭhaṅgaṇimitta; Sūtrakṛtāṅga 2.2. 25; Pravacanasāroddhāra 1405-09, p. 410.
In Jainism, Aṅga (अङ्ग) refers to a set of “requirements” for attaining the right faith.—Of the three jewels, right belief comes first and forms the basis upon which the other two rest. One must, by all possible means, first attain right belief or the basic conviction on the fundamentals because only on its acquisition, knowledge and conduct becomes right. Such right faith should have eight requirements or aṅga and should be free from the three types of superstitious ignorance and the eight kinds of pride.
The eight aṅgas or pillars which support the right belief are:
niḥśaṅkitā: Freedom from doubt.
niṣkāṅkṣitā: Freedom from desire for worldly comforts.
nirvicikitsā: Freedom from aversion towards or regard for the body.
amūḍhadṣṭṣṭi: Freedom from inclination for the wrong path.
upagūhaṇa: Redeeming the defects of ineffective beliefs.
stithikaraṇa: Sustaining souls in right convictions.
vātsalya: Affection towards spiritual breathren.
prabhāvanā: Spreading/advertising the greatness of Jain doctrines.
Pali-English dictionary Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
[«previous (A) next»] — Anga in Pali glossary
Source:BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary
aṅga : (nt.) 1. a constituent part; 2. a limb; 3. quality.
āṅga (आंग).—a S Relating to the body, corporeal. Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world. Discover the meaning of anga in the context of Marathi from relevant books on Exotic India