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TWO PECULIAR USAGES OF THE PARTICLE kira/kiri IN
APABHRAMSA
HERMAN TIEKEN*
1. Introduction
The Sanskrit particle kila has been studied in considerable detail, first by Emeneau (1969) and Ickler (1976) and after them by van Daalen (1988). Where Emeneau distinguished one function of kila and Ickler two, van Daalen recognized as many as four. Whatever is exactly the case here, in most contexts of kila, if not all of them, we seem to be dealing with a speaker who wants to convey the idea that he is only passing on a message or is affecting to do so. The speaker himself would not have the slightest idea or cannot think of any good reason as to why things are the way he is reporting them to be.
The above-mentioned studies of kila were restricted to (Vedic) Sanskrit, the dramatic Prākrits and Pāli. Apabhraíša material has not been considered so far. In what follows I would like to present some findings from Apabhramśa. I would like in particular to draw attention to two usages of kira (or kiri) in Apabhramśa, which, though otherwise "regular", seem to be peculiar of that dialect. 2. kira in combination with an interrogative pronoun
What immediately strikes the eye are the many instances in Apabhramśa of kira in combination with an interrogative pronoun, in particular so in the Harivamśapurāna. In this text this combination accounts for altogether 18 of the 28 instances
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in the passages edited by Alsdorf.' One example is 89.12.9:
rappijjai kiṁ kira kāminihim vaisiyamandiracūdāmaņīhiń, How is it possible to entertain a passion for women, who are the crest-jewels of the brothels ?;
or 89.12.12: parigaliyamullasoniyajaleņa kim kijjai kira soņiyalena, What does one expect from a woman's belly, which is leaking biood and urine ?
In both instances we are dealing with rhetorical questions. The speakers obviously want to convey the idea that they fail to understand why a man falls in love with a woman. Similarly, the expected answer to the question dhammeň viņu kahim kira sukiu kammu (84.1.7) "where does one find a good deed without Dharma?” is nowhere". In 88.4.6: ajja vi kira tuhum kāin cirāvahi "Why are you still hesitating ?" the speaker wants to express that he does not understand the hesitation,
These instances of kira seem to fall within the range of the functions recognized for Sanskrit, Prākrit and Pāli. However, what seems to be peculiar of Apabhramsa or at least of the Harivamśapurāņa, is the frequency of the combination of kira with an interrogative pronoun. Admittedly, Emeneau, Ickler, and van Daalen do not provide information on the frequency of the different types of contexts of the particle. However, going by the cursory treatment accorded by these scholars to kila with an interrogative pronoun one might conclude that in their sources the combination was not very frequent or, 1. kim kira in 83.3.11, 85.8.7, 88.12.6, 89.8.9, 89.12.9, 89.12.12, 89.13, 90.2.7, 92.12.11, 92.13.2, ko kira in 83.8.8, 85.1.11, kira ko in 85.8.6, kira tuhun kāin 88.4.6, kira kāsu 85.7.8., kahim kira 84.1.7, 89.7.9, kavana kira 87.16.5
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at least, did not strike them as so.2
3. kira in comparisons
In the texts published in the anthology Gurjararāsāvalī I have found three instances of kiri in comparisons. The first instance to be discussed is from the Viraṭaparva, lines 337-8:
etalai śuśarmā dali dhola vājaim
jāņe asāḍhū kiri meha gājai
In the meantime in Susarma's army the drums were beaten: it sounded like the thundering clouds in the month of Aṣādha.
Here kiri is found side by side with jane "as if, as it were". However in Vidyāvilāsapavāḍu, lines 67-70, it is found on its own instead of jāne (beside jāņe, note also jisyā and jima):
adhara suram ga jisyā paravālī sarala sukomala baha piņa payohara atihiṁ manohara jāņe amiyapavāha ürayugala kiri kadalīthambha caraṇakamala sukumāla mayagala jima mālhaṁtī cālai bolai vayaṇa rasāla,
Her lips are red (lit. of a good colour) like (jisya) coral, her arms straight and tender, her thick round breasts lovely like
(jāņe) a stream of nectar, her pair of thighs [like] (kiri) the 2. Emeneau (1969: 251) refers to Chandogya Upaniş ad 4.14.2: kim nu somya kila te 'vocann iti. This passage turns up again with Ickler (1976: 86), who queries the possibility of a substitution of original khalu by kila. Van Daalen (1988: 125-6 and 136, note 66) refers besides to katham adyāpi viprakṛştatamaḥ kila prabodhakālaḥ in Bhavabhūti's Mahāvīrcarita (6,7+) and an instance of kim nama kir 'tam from Jātaka 2.63.21. Other instances of kira in combination with an interrogative are found in, for instance, Sattasai 773 (kamalāyarāṇa uṇho hemaṁto sialo jaṇavayassal ko kirą bhiņṇasahāvaṁ jāṇai paramatthayam loe), Setubandha 3,56 (samuhamiliekkamekke ko ira āsaṇṇasaṁsaammi sahão ...), 4,62 (kaha ira sakajjakusalā...), and Samdeśarāsaka 154 (hiyau na kiņa kiri phuṭṭau nam vajjihi ghaḍiu).
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stems of the plantain plant, her lotus-feet tender, she swings her hips like (jima) an elephant, she spcaks words full of
love.
The other instance is found again in the Virāsaparva (line 420):
disai nahir bhuim kiri niri būdi, The earth has disappeared as if it has been submerged in the water.
Again, the function of kiri in these instances agrees with the ones established for Sanskrit. With kiri the poet (or the speaker) seems to emphasize that he is merely repeating common poetic images or descriptions. What is exceptional, however, is the use in the latter two instances of kiri as a veritable particle of comparison. This function becomes especially clear from the instance from the Vidyāvilāsapavādau, in which kiri is found side by side with jisyā, jāņe and jima. While the aim of the poet in this stanza clearly was to show his skill in varying the possible particles of comparison, his use of kiri on its own as such is peculiar. The same applies to its use in Virataparva 420. The question arises if we are not dealing with a meaning "invented” on the basis of the occurrences in kira/kiri in "messages”. As such, these instances of kiri as a particle of comparison would testify to the artificial nature of Apabhramśa, which would be a learned language just like Sanskrit.
References van Daalen, L.A. 1988. "The Particle kila/kira in Sanskrit, Prākrit and the Pāli Jātakas." Indo-Iranian Journal XXXI (1988), 111-137. Emeneau, M.B. 1969. "Sanskrit Syntactic Particles, kila, Khalu, nūnam. "Indo-Iranian Journal XI (1968-1969), 241-268. Gurjararāsāvali, B.K. Thakore, M.D. Desai and M.C. Modi, Gurjararāsāvali. Gaekwad's Oriental Series CXVIII. Baroda 1956.
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________________ Harivansapurana. L. Alsdorf, Harivansapurana. Ein Abschnitt aus der Apabhramsa-Welthistorie. "Mahapurana Tisatthimahapurisa-gunalamkara" von Puspadanta, Alt- und NeuIndische Studien 5. Hamburg 1936, Ickler, I. 1976. "Die vedische Partikel kila". Zeitschrift fur vergleichende Sprachforschung 90 (1976), 50-86. Samdesarasaka. Sri Jina Vijay Muni and Harivallabh Bhayani, The Samdesa Rasaka of Abdul Rahaman (A unique work of a muslim poet in Apabhramsa Language). Singhi Jain Series. Bombay 1945. Saltasai. A. Weber, Ueber das Saptacarakam des Hala. Abhandlungen fur die Kunde des Morgenlandes VII. 4. Leipzig 1881. Setubandha. S. Goldschmidt, Ravanavaha oder Setubandha. Strassburg 1880. AS HERMAN TIEKEN UNIVERSITEIT LEIDEN FACULTEIT DER LETTEREN POSTBUS 9515 2300 RA LEIDEN THE NEITHERLANDS