Old Bramhi Inscriptions In Udaygiri And Khandagiri

SR No.: 020516
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Benimadhab Barua
Publisher: University of Calcutta
Publication Year: 1929
Total Pages: 354
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 15 MB

Page 186

158
OLD BRÄHMİ INSCRIPTIONS
sonant aspirate dha has been replaced by the dental dha, and we have, for the Sk. sarva, sava ( = savva), precisely as in ardha-Māgadhi, instead of saba ( = sabba) as in Pali.1
The language of the old Brāhmi inscriptions shows an agreement with Ardha-Māgadbi in its tendency to retain the Sk. d-sound instead of substituting for it the Vedic cerebral sound ? as in Pāli : kaļāra (I. 1)=Ardha-Māgadhi kačāra=Sk. kaờāra= Pāli kaļára ; kūdikā, kīđitā (I. 1)=Ārdha-Māgadhi kīờiyā, kiddā, kādıyā=Sk. krida, krīditā = Pāli kīļikā, kāļitā; kīļāpayati (I. 4)= Ārdha-Māgadhi kīļāvayai =Sk. krīdayati = Pâli kīļāpayati ; pīļāpayati (I. 9) - Ardha-Māgadhi pīdāvayai =Sk. pīdayati= Pāli pīļāpayali ; tadāga (I. 2)=Ārdha-Māgadhi tađāga= Sk. tadāga=Pāli taļāka ; veduriya (I. 10, I. 15)=Ardha-Māgadhi veduriya =Sk. vaidūrya=Pāli veļuriya.
Further, as to the exceptional cases of spelling and pronunciation, the language of the old Brāhmi inscriptions differs from Pāli and agrees with Ardha-Māgadhi in its greater tendency to replace the surd by the sonant of a consonantal group : tadāga (I. 2)=Pali taļāka= Ardha-Māgadbi tadāga; padhame (I. 2)=Pāli pathame, pathame=Ardha-Māgadhi padhame; opadha (I. 13)=Paliopatha=Ārdha-Māgadhi ”paha (a change from padha); nadha, Goradha (I. 3, I. 8, I. 9)=Pāli radha, Goratha=Ārdha-Māgadhi raha, Goraha (changes from radha, Goradha); Pithuduga (1. 12)=Päli Puthudaku=Ārdha-Māgadhi Pihudaga, Pihudaga ; samghāta (I. 12)=Pali sum khūta, samkhyāta=Ārdha-Māgadhi saņkhātu ? ; Madhuram (I. 9)=Pâli Madhuram=Sk. Muthurām=Ārdha-Māgadhi Mahurum (a change from Madhuram).
The language under discussion differs from Pāli and agrees with Ārdba-Māgadbi also in its tendency to form a gerund by adding tā (= ĀrdhaMāgadhi ttā) instead of tvā to the verb ; acıtayita (1.3)=Ārdha-Māgadhi acimtayittā=Pāli acintayitvā ; ghātāpayitā (I. 9) =Ārdha-Magadhi ghātā. vayittā=Pāli ghātāpayitvā; in its tendency to change p into v in the middle of a word : kara-vaņa-anugaha (I. 7)=Pāli karu-paņa-anugaha ; in its tendency to frequently use pana (= Ārd ha- Māgad bi panna, Pāli panata, papa, pañña) for pañca : palatĩ8@li (I. 2)=Pali pañcatiz sahi ; panatariya (1. 15) = Pāli pusca-sattali ; in its tendency to represent the r of
1. Cf. also pura (1. 5, 1, 12)= Ārdha- Magadhī puva=Pāli pubba i savata (I. 8)=ardhaMavadhi savuvattha = Pali sabbattha ; youana (1.1) = Ārdha-Màgadhi yovvana = Pali yobbana.
2. Here samyhata may be equated also with Sk. and Päli samghäto.