Indian Antiquary Vol 02

SR No.: 032494
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 428
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 20 MB

Page 158

14+
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MAY, 1873.
I. GREEK NAMES AND WORDS AMONG HINDUS.
First of all I mention the names of the GræcoBactrian kings contained in the above-mentioned coin-legends deciphered by Prinsep, Las. sen, Raoul Rochette, Wilson, Tho. mas, Cunningham, Dowson, Rajen. dra là la Mitra and others, in connection with whatever else may here be available bearing on historical personages, &c., from contemporaneous documents, i.e. the inscriptions of Piyadasi and those from the period of the Indo-Skythian kings. Here it is to be kept in mind that the language of the documents in question is a kind of Páli, or rather Prakrit, and that therefore its words are influenced by the peculiar phonetic laws of this stage of the language, which, among other things, does not admit of ai, ar, and, as a rule, of no group of consonants which does not consist of homogeneous consonants. Also the terminations of the names, mostly standing in the genitive form, were obliged to conform to the Indian declension, whereby they underwent many changes and degradations.
Initial a usually remains unchanged, thus : Alikasunari (PAXcEavpos), Antikona and Antiyoka in the inscriptions of Piyadasi, AkhabiyasaApx Brov, Agathuklayasa-Ayabox covs, Ayasa-- Acout Ayilishasa-AÇicout, Atimakhasa-Ayripaxou, Atinvidarasa-Apriudopou, AntialikidasaAvrial kidov, Apaladatasa-Apoloduro, AmitasaApuvrov, artamisiyasa (of the month prepris), apiraesa (P of melatos).
In the same manner a medial a remains so, as, besides in the above, also in Maga in the inscriptions of Piyadasi, in Epadrasa-Emavepov, Eukratidasa -Eukpatidou, Hipastratasa-IoapaTou, Kaliyapaya-Kallos, Menadrasa, Minan. dasa-Mevav&pou, Patalavatasa-Ilavracoros, Spalirieasa-malipoovt, Stratasarpatos, stratega -otparnyos, panemara (of the month mavepos) tsattikasa (P of Eav ukos).
e appears as e in Hermayasa-'Epuatou, Heliyakloyasa-HALOK cou, Menadrasa, panenasa; -as i in Artimidarasa, apirassa, Minandasa. Pilashinasa-
D evou, Teliphasa, -Telepov;-as a in Agathuklayasa, Akhabiyasa, artamisiyasa.
is always represented by i, thus Ajilishasa, • To these especially pertain the Macedonian names of months, for the discovery whereof upon them we are indebted to Cunningham and Dowson. In the inscription of Takhti Bahi lately discovered by Dr. Leitner, the reckoning is, according to Dowson's decipherment, in Indian months. See Trübner's Amer. and Oriental Record, June 1871, p. 188.
+ As Skythian name this strictly belongs further on, to p. 148.
Accordingly, in this portion of India at least, the In. dian a itself had an obscured pronunciation nearly allied to 0. With this circumstance it agrees that Panini, who was precisely of this district, actually mentions a double pronunciation of a, one open and the other close, in ognse-
Antikona, Antiyoka, Dianisiyasa - Alovuorov, Diyamedasa-Aloundov, Johilasa - Zwilov, Heliya kleyasa, Hipastratasa, Kaliyapaya, Nikiasa-NIKLOV, daisisasa ( of the month datorios.)
o appears as o in Antiyoka, Antikona;-as u in Turamaya - IITOAeuauos in the inscriptions of Piyadasi; Agathuklayasa;-in the rule above as af, thus Apaladatasa, Dianisiyasa, Diyamedasa, Hipastratasa, Hiliyakleyasa, Kaliyapaya, Pilashinasa.
v is rendered by i, as Lisiasa-Avolov, Amitasa, Dianisiyasa.
n appears throughout as e, as in Heliylealeyasas, Diyamedasa, Teliphasa, stratega.
w is transcribed by o in Johilasa, -by & in Atimidarast.
at appears as ai (®) in daisisasa (facsimile wanted); alo as aya in Turamaya, Hermayasa, as ae in apiraesa (P facsimile wanted).
ao appears as o in Yonal of Piyadasi,- co as ava in Patalavatasa.
av is represented by a or rather o in Maasa or Moasa (and even as Mogasa)-Mavov, v by e-u in E-ukratidasa.
With reference to the consonants, there is to be noted the representation of (by j in Johilasa, by y in Ayasa, Ayilisasa, by sh in Pilashinasa, by ta (P) in taattika, by th in Agathuklayasa,
by p in Pilishinasa, by ph in Teliphasa, x by k in Antiyoka, by kh in Akhabiyasa, Atimakhasa,--the groupe k , kp, OTP, OT, OT, are preserved in Heliyakleyasa, Agathuklayasa, Eukratidasa, Stratasa, stratega, artamisiya, Spalirisasa ;-Ak is represented by lik in Antia. likidasa ;-vis now and then omitted (probably only graphically, by omission of the hook over it) before , 8, as Atimakhasa, Menadrasa ;-of the initial mt only the T remains in Turamaya ;-- was pronounced as di, thus Dianisiyasa, Diyamedasa, Hardening is perceptible in Antikona, Maka (nearly Maga),-substitution of r for 1 in Turamaya, apiraesa.
Let us now turn to the words which may be pointed out in Hindu Literature. Of the names adduced above, the only one that can certainly be shown in it is that of Menander, but in the form Milinda,-namely in the PAli-texts of
quence whereof he sets up 14, and not a, the standard for the quantitative relations of the) othet vowels. See Ind. Stud. IV. 119, V. 92. In other parts of India the matter probably stood differently see below, pp.148, 149.
Although the Greek legend itself appears once on e coin as 1.0-: (see Thomas, Catalogue of Bactrian Coins, London, 1866, p. 14;) the same has no Indian legend.
The name Yons, or rather Yavana, for laoves, was however known to the Hindus at any rate before the time of Alexander, f.e. during the earlier Persian were, in which also Indians took part as auxiliaries against the Greeks; on the name itself see my remark in Kund's Zeit. achri, v. 221.