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________________ Some sporadic notes on the Brhaddesi 1. Travana The fourth chapter of the Brhaddesi (") (=BD.) describes Bhashas according to Yastika. There the first Bhasa of the Takkaraga is called Travana (BD.2, 132, v. 16; p. 138, v. 39). Similarly the ninth Bhasa of the Pancama-raga is called Travani (p.134, v.28; p. 164, 100-101) and it is called desa-sambhava (v-101). In the Notes (virmarsa) the editors have observed that travana or travana is not known as a geographical name. In Rajasekhara's Kavyamimamsa (first half of the tenth century), Travana occurs twice as the name of a country. In the list of the countries in the Western region of India is mentioned Travana along with Surastra, Daseraka, Bhrgukaccha, Kaccha, Anarta, Arbuda etc. (ch. 17, p. 233). Again in the seventh chapter while describing the regional charactersitics of poetry-recitation it is said that the poets of Surastra, Travana and allied regions recite even Sanskrit poetry with a touch of Apabhramsa. Accordingly Travana was the name of a country in the west in the vicinity of Surastra, Kaccha, etc. It was possibly in Rajasthan. H. C. Bhayani 2. Harsapuri The third Bhasa of the Malavakaisika Raga is called Harsapuri (BD. 2, p. 150, v. 65). The editors say that Harsapura is not known as a geographical name (p. 311, note 25). 1. Harsapura was known as a city and an administrative province in Gujarat during the Calukya period. It is mentioned in a copperplate grant (dated 910-911 A.C.) of the period of the Rastrakuta king. Krsna-II. There the province is called harsapura-ardhastama-sata (i.e. Harsapura-750). It is identified with Harsol in the Sabarkantha district of the present-day Gujarat. In the form harsapura the vowel is lenghtened metri snaggfaqvimi qf. Ed. PL. Shamu A B. Bader. Pat 1. 1992 put 2. 190.
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________________ 101 causa. (See 'Gujarat no Rajkiy ane Sarskrtik Itihas', part 1, ed. R. C. Parikh, H.G. Shastri, 1972, p. 374). 3. Satavahanika The second Bhasa of the Kakubha Raga is called Satavahanika (BD.2, p. 134, v.23 ; the ms. reading is salavahanika) or Satavahini (p.154, v.74 ; to be emended as satavahani). The name derives from the name of the royal poet Satavahana (Pk, salavahana, salahana), the famous literary figure and author of the Prakrit anthology Gahakosa or Gahasattasai, who ruled at Prattisthana (modern Paithan in Maharashtra) during the first or second century of the Christian era. In the Prakrit section of the Siddhahema-sabdanusasana, Hemacandra, while connecting Pk. salavahana, satahana with Sk. satavahana, has given salahani bhasa as an illustration of the occurrence of the form salahana. It is quite tempting to connect this with the Satavahanika Bhasa of BD. In that case bhasa in Hemacandra's illustration (which is most probably taken over from some earlier source) does not mean language', but a type of Gramaragas. 4. Ambaheri The twelfth Bhasa of the Takka Raga is called Ambaheri (BD.2, p. 132, v. 19; the ms. reading here is ambahiri ; p. 144, v.54). The editors have observed (p.310, note 20) that Ambahera is not known to be a geographical name. They suggest the connection of that term with Ambara, modern Amer near Jaipur in Rajasthan. Now it is obvious that some of the names of the Bhasas do not brave any connection with a geographical place-name, e.g. Lalitat, Kolahali. Madhuri. Vesari ete,
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________________ The word ammahiraya occurs in the sense of 'lullaby' in Apabhramsa poems of 9th and 10th century A.C.. For example in the description of a cowherds settlement it is said: 102 katthai Dibhara pariyaMdijjaiha, ammAhIrau geu jhuNijjau / (Svayambhu's Paumacariya, 24, 13,8) 'In some places a lullaby song is being sung while rocking the child (in a craddle)'. In the same poet's Harivamsapurana, Yasoda is described in the following lines as rocking the child Krsna in the craddle (hallaru, Guj, halardu) and sing a lullaby: mehari ammAhIraeNa, pariyaMdai hallaru / (5,1,9) In Puspadanta's Mahapurana child Rsabha is described in the following line as being rocked in a craddle while a sweet lullaby is being sung: pariyaMdara ammAhIraeNa, sovaMtau ku-vi suihAraeNa / ( 4, 4, 13) There, some initial lines of the lullaby are also given. Accordingly, it is suggested that Ambahiri as the name of Bhasa (which as a class being related to the Gramaragas) may be the same as Ap. ammahiraya 'lullaby'. ambaheri is called desyakhya in BD. That qualifier can be also interpreted as 'the name of which is based on / derives from a regional dialect'. ? Incidentally, Ap. ammahiraya can be derived from amma 'mummy' + hiraya 'diamond'. In the lullabies that were sung the child would have been addressed or referred to as 'O you mine your mummy's diamond'. Hence a lullaby came to be called ammahiraya. See my paper in Gujarati, hulardi, parnic in Apabhramsa literature. published in 1970 and later included in my collection Sabdaparisilan (1973) pp 101-106.
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________________ 103 5. Vesara BD. states that according to Durgasakti, Ragas themselves are known as Vesara. (BD.2, p. 108). According to the editors Raga is another name of Vesara Giti. Again BD, has cited Durgasakti to explain the term Vesara. According to the latter Vesara is an alternative form of Vegasara. Vegasara is so called because svaras move with speed (vegasara) (p. 108). But a little further on p. 116, it is said that Vesaras are so called because the speed of svaras is seen in them (i.e. it is an alternative form of vega-svara). Editors have noted that the usual meaning of Sk. vesara is 'mule', and that Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English dictionary has given vegasara also with the same meaning. Now vegasara is attested considerably later than vesara (from the Kathasaritsagara and from Hemcandra's Abhidhana-cintamani (which gives vesara, vegasara and asvatara as synonyms). Most probably vegasara is a later creation to explain vesara etymologically. Sk. vegasara 'moving speedily' would become veasara in Prakrit and later vesara. So working backwardly vegasara was formed. This attempt to provide vesara with artificial etymology to match with its meaning is evident from the BD. passages referred to above which once equate vesara with vegasara and second time with vegasvara. vesara 'mule' is a hybrid animal. Whether it implies that Vesara Giti was called so because of a mixture of two types in its structure is for the musicologists to tell. 6. desi In BD. ), 2 the word desi qualifies dhvani (m.). In 1,16 it qualities marga (m.). In 5,346 it qualifies raga (m.). Elsewhere it qualifies nstta (n.), sabda (m.), numan (n.) etc. Formally desi is feminine. At BD. 1,14 it is said: gIyate yA'nurAgeNa svadeze dezimacyate / (llore desi is modified its slesi to suit the metre).
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________________ 104 The title brhaddesi means 'the great work on desi ragas'. How to account for the feminine form desi in all these usages ? It is of course derived from desa 'region'. Adjectives formed from desa are desya, desiya: The form desi functioning as an adjective is evidently a changed form of desya. In several Sanskrit words in later usage we find that their final -ya changes to -i, under the influence of Prakrit. Note the following instances (noted in MW.): aucitI < aucitya, cAturI < cAturya, mAdhurI < mAdhurya, vaicitrI < vaicitrya, vaidagdhI < vaidagdhya, vaiduSI < vaiduSya. (See H. C. Bhayani, 'Etymalogical Notes', Berlines Indologisehe Studies, 8, 1995, p.9) These forms are attested from comparatively late Sanskrit texts. So also the word desi. The explanation of the term vesara as vegasara or vegasvara, the place-name base of the bhasas travana and harsapuriya, the use of the form desi indicate linguistically rather a late date for BD. So also the term ambaheri in the section taken over from Yastika's work.