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NON-STANDARD USAGES IN THE PANCATANTRA (TANTRĀKHYAYIKĀ)*
Dinanath Sharma The Pañcatantra (Tantrākhyāyikā) is a compilation of old Indian fables. As is known from the prologue, it was written by Vişnuśarman (c. A.D. 300) in order to educate politically the three sons of Amaraśakti, the then king of a South Indian state, Mihiläropya. It was originally written in the language of the educated courtcircles of the time, the Sanskrit. But the original text of the Pañcatantra, however is not available; the work is known through its recensions, which are as follows : [1] The Tantrākhyāyikā, [2] The text that was translated into Pahlavi in about A.D. 570 [3] the Kashmirian Brhatkathā, [4] the South Indian Pañcatantra and [5] the Nepalese Selection of Stanzas. In respect of the text, these five recensions agree among themselves to such an extent that Hartel has rightly traced them to a common single source and, from their correspondences, he has drawn the conclusion that the Tantrākhyāyikā – the only complete Sanskrit text among these recensions — provides the best picture of the primary work; it thus stands next to the original Pañcatantra. Hence, generally speaking, it also holds that whatever may be said with regard to the Tantrākhyāyikā is largely valid for the primary work of the Pancatantra? For this reason I have preferred the Tantrākhyāyikā for my langual study. The language of the Pañcatantra is phraseological and facile, but there are some usages which go against the discipline of the standard Sanskrit grammar, the Astädhyāyi by Pāṇini. This article is oriented to highlight those usages and justify them, if possible, from other sources. They are as follows: (A) 375 itala cave 91H 1 I trufcari20521, P-5, Line-4 :
(A flock of monkeys, incidentally came to the temple.) (B) auftreterard 3TTA: | fauf 4011 P-25, Line-16 :
(Wherefrom did you come in this improper dwelling ?) (C) cf - ZTETYCU 3T afH atafa I FARUTH P-76, Line-8 :
(Then, I shall pass the night having climbed only on this banyan tree.) According to Pāṇini, the verb denoting movement with physical activity should have its object either in accusative case or in dative case provided the object is not the path
+ This article was presented in the Xth World Sanskrit Conference, Bangalore, held
from 3 to 9 January 1997.
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In the above sentences, the verbs -आगतम्, आगतः and आरूढः, denote movement and therefore their objects, namely देवगृहे, अस्मिन्नयोग्याधिवासे and न्यग्रोधपादपे should not be as such i.e. in locative case. They should be in objective case i.e. a, 544 अयोग्याधिवासम् and न्यग्रोधपादपम्. Now, we shall see these usages in light of the Prakrit grammar. According to Hemacandra", (FH14 dieu: 55 8.3.135) sometimes locative case can be used in lieu of accusative and instrumental cases, v.g. 22 7 AH (977A) (I don't go to the town.) etc. 2. 4957dta 477787 HIGHYTROT Frame - story Lion and bull P-22, Line-8 : (And the lion asked Damanaka respectfully for his speech was trustworthy. ) Pāņini admits by the sūtra 37aferri (1.4.51) that if the speaker does not want to use the cases like ablative etc., as such then those cases can be considered to be accusative case. Thus the verb of the sentence has two objects. There are sixteen such verbs which have two objects and res is one of them. For example77740i Teri Yafa 1 (One asks the pupil the way.) Here ablative case to the word 4140 is not required by the speaker, therefore the suffix of accusative case has been added to 1976. Was it required to be in ablative case the word would be माणवकात् but not माणवकस्य i.e. in genitive case as is added to दमनक in the above sentence of the Pañcatantra. Such usages are allowed in Prakrit languages by the sutra क्वचिद् द्वितीयादे: (8.3.134) of Hemacandra in which he says - In some usages sixth case is taken for second, third etc. cases. For example -
LTERATI (I pray Simădhara). Actually it should be the fire in Sanskrit. In the same respect follow another usages - 3. (a) TRICI CE C ferger T 7916 Frame - story lion and bull P-3,
Line-23 : (Once the securitymen, being afraid for their own sake, came and told him
[Vardhamanaka) a lie). (b) gral da: ER WERTY | Three fishes P. 38, Line-21 :
(And having known the god spoke with smile to Samudra.) a t are also in the same group of verbs which have two objects as earlier mentioned. The verb e of 30 and are in above sentences respectively falls in the same group of verbs with the help of 37effacera FSI? of the Vaiyakarana Siddhanta Kaumudi, denoting the same as aand vir4 do. Therefore, they too have
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two objects. Thus and being objects of their respective verbs in the sentences, should not be as such; i.e. in genitive case. They should be 4 and , .e. in accusative case. But again these usages are justified by Prakrit grammar af fact: (8.3-134) which is already explained.
4. (a) सिहेन च अस्य (कष्ट्रस्य) अभ्यवपत्तिरभयप्रदानं च दतम् । ऊष्ट्रकाकादिकथा, P-32, Line-9:
(The lion gave him (the camel) freedom to move around and fearlessness.) (b) यथासम्भवं ब्राह्मणत्रयस्य भोजनं दातव्यम् । The barber who killed the monks P-134, Line-3:
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(Food should be given to three Brahmanas as per the possibility.)
ff
The sutra 4 1.4.32 of the Astädhyayi defines that that, before whom one goes by the act (of donation), is called the fourth case ending.
which requires
The act of donation is of two kinds; one, in which the thing once given is never taken back; e.g. देवदत्तः ब्राह्मणाय गां ददाति (Devadatta gives a cow to the Brāhmana) and the other, in which the thing given is taken back; e.g. taga: am aci zerfa (Devadatta gives cloth to the washerman). The object of the first kind of donation. will have fourth case ending and that of second kind of donation, the sixth case ending, though Mahabhäṣyakára Patanjali recognises fourth case for second kind of donation also.
Thus both the verbs of above sentences, denoting bestowal, should have their objects इदम् (अस्य ऊष्ट्रस्य) and ब्राह्मणत्रय in dative case, i.e. अस्मै (ऊष्ट्राय) and E since freedom for moving around, fearlessness and food are given to the respective objects for ever and not to take them back in future. But both the objects are in genitive case, ie अस्य and ब्राह्मणत्रयस्य.
These usages have found solid ground in Prakrit grammar which admits sixth case mostly for fourth case (चतुर्थ्याः षष्ठी 8.3.131)
5. (a) अथ मत्कुणश्चकितत्वाद्राजवचनं श्रुत्वा शयनादवतीर्य अन्यद्विवरमाश्रितः यूकामत्कुणकथा P-26, Line 11:
-
(Thereafter the bug having heard the voice of the king with astonishment, got down from bed and sheltered another hole.)
(b) fosferaga zemran: Frame story P-82, Line-10:
(Citränga also, being afraid took shelter of the bank.)
Pānini, by the stūtra गत्यर्थकर्मकश्लिष्णीस्थासवसजन रुहजीर्यतिभ्यश्च 3.4.7211, admits that the verbs denoting movement, intransitive verbs and certain other verbs, namely श्लिष, शीड़ स्था, आस्, वस्, जन्, रुह, and ज् with the suffix of past passive participle
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can, though generally in passive voice, be used in active voice also. e.g. #: afra: TG: FI: 1 The verb ( C: (371 + f + + + ) of above sentences, is really transitive and used in active. It is neither rem nor does it fall into fecta, site etc. group of verbs. It, therefore, cannot be in active voice. 6. 37401 7 1540g 7: Hog F Frame - story P-52, Line-3 : (Or proper is to instruct him who grasps (the instruction] spoken once only.) In standard classical Sanskrit, the sixth case is introduced after a nominal stem when it denotes the agent (af) or the direct object (60) of the action signified by a verbal stem ending in a křt affix. (
a f unt: fa-2.3.65)2 e.g. : fa:, fra: af, etc. But the sixth case is prohibited when it denotes the agent or direct object of a verbal stem ending in the kỉt affix if it is a (a) l-substitute (Arc), (b) U (3), (c) Uka (309), (d) indeclinable (37644, (e) Nişthă, () synonyms of Khal (art), and Trn (90, (a 4f8&STATU) 2.3.69.13 34°34 in the above sentence is an indeclinable ending in IT affix, so its direct object, (a ). taking the above rule into account, cannot be put in sixth case-ending. It should be second case-ending. 7. TG46224614 Srpu grafrei fant iaft Frame-story P-82, Line-29 : (Then receive the whereabouts of Citrānga by flying up.) The verb 346021814 indicates that the sentence is in passive voice. Therefore, the object should be in nominative case while the objects यथावस्थितां चित्राङ्गवार्ताम् is in accusative case. If the object be so the form of verb should be 3467469! ! 8. The auguraustaus Tetra pisef Tartuita: Deer's Former Captivity
P.85, Line-2 : (Thereafter, the hunters, the wicked ones, having caught the deer brought to the prince to play with.) The root verb is one of that group of verbs, Karinan Kāraka of which can denote that Kāraka also which is not assigned by any other Kāraka like ablative (314619) etc. Thus such verbs have two objects as mentioned before!4. The prince is the object of the verb 34-tra: in the above sentence. So the prince should be in accusative case or in sixth case षष्ठी शेषे - 2.3.50s. v.g. क्रीडार्थ राजपुत्रस्य jutta: or ............ Metal Tyrhaita: following the sūtra f+421744627 7 for rent: -2.3.1415, which is explained as - the fourth case is introduced after nominal stem to signify the object of the verbal stem which is not actually used but serves as an upapada to the verbal stem actually used.
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9. योद्धचित्त (of fighting mentality) द्रोग्धुबुद्धि: द्रोग्धुमति: (having mentality to offend.)
Frame-story P-27,28
According to Panini affix is attached to the root verb when the action refers to the general future time ( fari fat 3.3.10) and the anusvāra ofis dropped when the verb precedes and and both come together ( तुं काममनसोरपि ) 18 v. 8 गन्तुमनस्, कर्तुकाम etc. But चित्त, बुद्धि and मति, though denoting the
cannot be preceded by
ending verb. But in the
same as 1 and 4 do, Pañcatantra, it is so used.
Considering all these usages, it is very difficult to reach any solid grounds that have caused these deviations from standard Sanskrit discipline. Nevertheless some factors, to my mind, must have led astray the language of the Pañcatantra, which are as follows -
1. Pañcatantra has been more popular among common people, its fables being mostly in parlance among them than among educated people. It is, therefore, possible that the language of common people, Prakrit must have influenced the language of the Pañicatantra.
2. Scribes, while copying it from one manuscript onto the other, must have committed such mistakes, for, the scribes were generally ignorant of standard language, be it Sanskrit or Prakrit.
33
Whatever the reason may be, we can at the very least say about any work in general and about the Pañcatantra in particular, that the more the work is read the more deviations of the work from its origin are possible, at least in case of its language.
In sum, we can say in words of V. S. Sukthankar: "Ours is a problem in textual dynamics, rather than in textual statics.
REFERENCES :
1. The Pañcatantra (Tantrākhyāyikā) J. Hartel.
2.
History of Indian Literature - Vol. III p.311.
3.
गत्यर्थकर्मणि द्वितीयाचतुर्थ्यां चेष्टायामनध्वनि - 2.3.12 Astā, Vol I p. 281.
4.
सि. हे. श. पृ. २५१.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Aṣṭādhyayi Vol. 1, p. 187.
सि. हे. श. पृ. २५०.
वै. सि. कौ. पृ. ७०४.
Aṣṭādhyāyi Vol. 1, p. 180.
19"
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9. 10. 11.
13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.
वै. सि. कौ. पृ. ७३९. सि. हे. श. पृ. २४९. Astādhyāyi Vol. 2, p. 586. Ibid, Vol. 1, p. 302.
bid, Vol. 1, p. 303. See example Nos. 2 & 3. Astadhyayi Vol. 1, p. 296. bid, Vol. 1, p. 282. bid, Vol. 11, p. 487. बृहद् अनुवाद चन्द्रिका पृ० ४३५. Mahābhārata -- “Adiparvan" Vol. 1, Prolegorum, p. 180.
BIBLIOGRAPHY :
1. Pañcatantra (Tantrākhyāyika), Ed. J. Hartel, Harward Oriental Series No. 12, Harward
1915.
2. History of Indian Literature Vol. III, Ist Ed. M.Winternitz, English Tr. Subhadra Jha,
Motilal Banarasidas, Delhi 1963. ३. वैयाकरण सिद्धान्त कौमुदी,
व्याख्याकार - गोपालदत्त पाण्डेय प्रथम भाग
चौखम्भा सुरभारती प्रकाशन, द्वितीय संस्करण, वाराणसी १९९०. ४. सिद्धहेमशब्दानुशासनम् भाग-३,
व्याख्याकार -पंडित बेचरदास दोशी, प्रथम आवृत्ति, युनिवर्सिटी ग्रंथ निर्माण बोर्ड, अहमदाबाद १९७८.
5. Mahābhārata Vol . I Editor - V. S. Sukthankar, Bhāndārakar Oriental Research
Institute, Pune 1993.
6. Astādhyāyi of Panini, Vols - 4
English Tr. - Sris Chandra Vasu; Pub. India Press, Allahabad 1891, 1894, 1897, and 1897. ७. बृहद् अनुवाद चन्द्रिका - चक्रधर नौटियाल 'हंस' शास्त्री, मोतीलाल बनारसीदास, दिल्ली १९८८.