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________________ Some folk-etymologies in the Anuyogadvara-sutra* - H. C. Bhayani 1. Among the ten types of nouns described in the Anuyogadvara-sutra*, two are called goNNa and nogoNNa. goNNa is quif29991 appropriate to the meaning and indoo is 'contrary to the meaning.' The illustrations of the former type are: G44 (=648fat), 2441 (=waitfa), Hmon (=emailfa), Taunt (=yedfa). The illustrations of the latter type are : a 'bird', which s akuMta 'not having a lance'. samugga 'box' (Sk. samudga), which is without the mugga (Sk. mudga) grain'. samudda 'sea' (Sk. samudra) which is without yg 'seal' (Sk. 481). Yn 'dry grass' (divided as 4-rt, Sk. #-M61 'having abundant saliva'), which is stellen 'not having saliva'. Hifcren "kite' (divided as 4-31674, Sk. Hf441 having a family'), which is he fet having no family'. palAsa 'the palAza tree' (Sk. palAza, understood as pala+aza 'eating meat'), which is 37461H 'not eating meat'. $na a rainy insect' (Sk. 9), which is not a 'protector of Indra'. 2. Another type is that which is designated by a word having a contrary meaning. The illustrations are : ftat 'vixen' (meaning also 'auspicious'), although it is 37 ta 'inauspicious'. agni 'fire' is called zItala 'cold'. viSa 'poison' is called madhura 'sweet'. In the house of liquor-distiller liquor is called Farg 'sweet' eventhough it is 3757 'acidic'. 3761714 (but understood a 372719 i. e. Sk. 34th of 'not red'), eventhough it is Taha 'red'. 37613 'gourd' (Sk. 3911, understood as 31-971 'not a container') eventhough it is atz'container'. For 19 Indian Maddar' (divided as 5-14 that which appears unbeauteous) is used eventhough it is beautiful. 3. One type of names are given according to their etymology. * Branean by Muni Punyavijaya & Pt. Dalsukh Malvania, Published in the Jaina-Agama-Series No.1
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________________ anusaMdhAna - 17*44 The illustrations are: f 'buffalow' is so called because he sleeps on the ground (mahyAM zete) bhramara honey-bee' is so called because it wanders and drones (bhramati rauti ca) musala 'pestle' is so called becuase it rises up frequently (ggelufa). of the wood-apple fruit' is so called because it hangs like a monkey (kapi+stha) cikkhalla 'liquid mud' is so called because it makes sound like fa and it is low in the middle ( khalla). ulUka 'owl' is so called because its ears are high (urdhva karNa ). mekhalA ' girdle' is so called because it is a row of mekha (?). 4. Even if Arya Raksita may not be author of the Anuyogadvara, there is no doubt about the fact that its author was highly learned and well-versed in Sanskrit. Hence we are intrigued with the structural division or etymologies of the words like sakuMta, samugga, samudda, palAla, sauliyA, palAsa, iMdagova that he has given just like a common man, who being ignorant of grammar or etymology gives a fanciful etymology to match the meaning-what is known as 'folk etymology'. In every language such fanciful etymologies are current. For example in Modern Gujarati 'mother's sister' is explained by some as - 'like the mother'. Actually it is derived as Sk. mAtuHsvasRkA, Pk mAuMssiyA, Old Guj mAusI mAzI. bhatrIjo 'nephew' is explained as the third danger', while actually it is derived as Sk. bhrAtrIyaH, PK bhatrijjao, and then through bhatrIjaDa, bhatrIjo. TapAlI postman' is facetiously explained 2 Tapa daIne AlI jAya te 'He who delivers speedily', when etymologically it is connected with halts at intervals in the path'. In Hindi the following doggerel is well-known---- raMgI ko nAraMgI kahe, calatI ko kahe gADI / gaMde ko sAphI kahe, aise loka anAr3I || (Variants khAre ko mIThA kahe; vADhI ko kahe pAlI pAlI ko vADhI kahe ). In this nAraMgI 'orange' is divided as nAraMgI 'not coloured ' when in fact it is coloured. s is 'cart, car' taken as a homonym for 'buried'. The piece of cloth used to cover
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________________ 3GHT-919.45 the end of 45 of a hookah is dirty, but it is called 1947 meaning also 'clean'. ari 'salty' is called to 'sweet'. ar "knife' is also called us which also means that which has increased'. 5. In the non-standard Sanskrit of Jain Prabandha works many fanciful etymologies are advanced. Pk. Yf631 'shoe derived form Sk. 341-1641 is re-Sanskritised as wifea 'beneficial for the life ! Guj. 9 TH 'old man' is Sanskritised as is : 'he whose hands dangle'. DET (CEC a meter of that name' is Sanskritised as g76721207 'a pot of milk' (probably based on the wrong alternative name 779, which is a different metre). alattaya, alAu, kusuMbha as etymologized in the Anuyogadvara are in line with the above given back-formations. 6. We however know that the tradition of giving fanciful, artificial or imaginary etymologies goes back to Yaska's Farming (about fifth century B.C.), and it continues later in the explanations given in the literature on the gulfa and still later in the one-letter dictionaries (=t&rit pro 19). Among the illustrations cited above from the Anuyogadvara the etymologies of the words Sk. arc (Pk.37673), 38 , F274, Pk. FEROM, Sk YURT, Pk You, Sk ART, OMI, Pk 417 (related Sk. words 77, 97, 11), Pk. fon (Sk. 1991, Guj. samaLI), Sk. samudga are unknown. bhramara is connected with 49 'to wander' (with-372-derivative). He is based on Sk. mahat 'great' and samudra derives from sam+udra (the same root as that of 36th 'water'). Ty is in the same class as the popular names given to some insects etc. (e.g. fungus is called in Guj. FRIISA to the hat of a cat'). In the case of the use of furat ('auspicious' for that which is really considered feral 'inauspicious*) and FIS 'sweet' (which is actually 31747 'acid'), the verbal taboo has prevailed, under the belief that if an unauspicious word is spoken the harmful thing may possibly materialize. The terrible Vedic god
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________________ 3157 -869 * 46 came to be called ziva, zaMbhu, zaMkara 'the benign one', to appease him. In Gujarati under the superstition that when somebody goes out to carry out a task, if any one enquires Pi 1737) 331 ? Where are you going ?', then the use of the word i would invite failure in the undertaking. So instead the word + is used (vitc G131 501 ?), because that word is derived from Sk. fias, implying the undertaking will be successful.