aTa ( Ved. aTA ) ind. [ arT-qa, pfzoda° ralopaH Tv. ] 1 A particle used at the beginning (of works) mostly as a ( pb ) sign of auspiciousness, and translated by ‘here,’ ‘now’ (begins) ( maMgala , AraMBa, aDikAra ). (Properly speaking ‘auspiciousness’ or maMgala is not the sense of aTa , but the very utterance or hearing of the word is considered to be indicative of auspiciousness, as the word is supposed to have emanated from the throat of Brahmā: oMkAraScATa SabdaSca dvAvetO brahmaRaH purA . kaMWaM BittvA viniryAtO tena mAMgalikAvuBO .. and therefore we find in Śaṅkara Bhāṣya arTAMtaraprayuktaH aTaSabdaH SrutyA maMgalamAracayati ); aTa nirvacanaM ; aTa yogAnuSAsanaM; aTedaMprAraByate dvitIyaM taMtraM Pt. 2. (usually followed by iti at the end, iti praTamoMkaH here ends &c.). 2 Then, afterwards ( AnaMtarya ) aTa prajAnAmaDipaH praBAte vanAya DenuM mumoca R. 2. 1 ; often as a correlative of yadi or cet; na cenmunikumAroyaM aTa kosya vyapadeSaH Ś. 7 ; muhUrtAdupari upADyAyaScedAgacCet aTa tvaM CaMdo 'DIzva P. III. 3. 9. Sk. 3 If, supposing, now if, in case, but if ( pakzAMtara ); aTa kOtukamAvedayAmi K. 144 , Ś. 5. 27 ; aTa maraRamavaSyameva jaMtoH kimiti muDA malinaM yaSaH kuruDve Ve. 3. 4 ; aTa gfhRAti Ś. 7 ; Ku. 5. 45 ; Mu. 3. 25 ; Ki. 1. 44 ; aTa cAstamitA tvamAtmanA R. 8. 51 while, but, on the other hand; oft. followed by tataH or taTApi , Bg. 12. 9 , 11 ; 2. 26 ; aTa cet but if Bg. 2. 33 ; 18. 58. 4 And, so also, as also, likewise ( samuccaya ); gaRitamaTa kalAM vESikIM Mk. 1. 3 ; Ms. 2. 1. 31 ; BImo' TArjunaH G. M. 5 Used in asking or introducing questions ( praSna ), oft. with the interrogative word itself; aTa sA tatraBavatI kimAKyasya rAjarzeH patnI Ś. 7 ; arTavAn Kalu me rAjaSabdaH . aTa BagavA~llokAnugrahAya kuSalI kASyapaH Ś. 5 ; aTa Saknozi BoktuM G. M. ; aTAtraBavatI kaTamitTaMBUtA M. 5 ; Bg. 3. 36 ; aTa BavaMtamaMtareRa kIdfSo 'syA dfzwirAgaH Ś. 2 ; aTa mAWavyaM prati kimevaM prayuktaM Ś. 6 ( aTa may in these two sentences mean ‘but’). 6 Totality, entirety ( kArtsnya ); aTa DarmaM vyAKyAsyAmaH G. M. we shall explain the whole Darma ( Darma in all its details.). 7 Doubt, uncertainty ( saMSaya , vikalpa ); Sabdonityo 'TAnityaH G. M. The senses of aTa usually given by lexicographers are: — aToTa syAtAM samuccaye . maMgale saMSayAraMBADikArAnaMtarezu ca . anvAdeSe pratijYAyAM praSnasAkalyayorapi .. Some of these senses are indentical with those in (1), while some are not in general use. Comp. — api moreover, and again ( pb ) &c. (= aTa in most cases); °ca likewise, also. — kiM what else, yes, exactly so, quite so, certainly; sarvaTA apsaraHsaMBavEzA . aTa kiM Ś. 1 ; api vfzalamanuraktAH prakftayaH aTa kiM Mu. 1. — vA 1 or (used like the English disjunctive conjunction ‘or’ and occupying the same place); vyavahAraM parijYAya vaDyaH pUjyo' TavA Bavet H. 1. 58 ; samastEraTavA pfTak Ms. 7. 198 ; aTavA-aTavA either-or; vATa is often used in the same sense with vA; kArtike vATa cEtre vA Pt. 3. 38 ; Ms. 7. 182 ; aTApi vA also used in the same sense; etadeva vrataM kuryuScAMdrAyaRamaTApi vA 11. 118 ; 8. 287. 2 or rather, or why, or perhaps, is it not so (correcting or modifying a previous statement); why should there be any thought or hesitation about it, or it is no wonder; api nAma kulapateriyamasavarRakzetrasaMBavA syAt . aTavA kftaM saMdehena Ś. 1. , 1. 16 ; gamizyAmyupahAsyatAM… aTavA kftavAgdvAre vaMSe 'smin R. 1. 3-4 ; aTavA mfduvastu hiMsituM 8. 45 ; dIrye kiM na sahasraDAhamaTavA rAmeRa kiM duzkaraM U. 6. 40 ; aDoDo gaMgeyaM padamupagatA stokamaTavA . vivekaBrazwAnAM Bavati vinipAtaH SatamuKaH Bh. 2. 10.