Epigraphia Indica Vol 07

SR No.: 032561
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: E Hultzsch
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1998
Total Pages: 522
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 23 MB

Page 264

No. 28.)
SOME RASHTRAKUTA RECORDS.
221
their various records which were published before the time when the Sirar inscription came to notice. And, for parposes of easy discrimination, it will be desirable to continue the use of that appellation, and to speak still, as hitherto, of the Rashtrakůta kings of Malkhed and the Ratta princes of Saundatti.
We have now to consider which of the two names, Ratta and Rashtrakata, was evolved from the other name, and how it was done.
And, in the first place, it is to be remarked that we have been told by Mr. Pathak that "the word ratta, according to Trivikrama, is a Pråkpit form of the Sansksit ráshtra." I have, however, been assured, by the very best authority, that Trivikrama does not give in his grammar any rule at all about the word rashtra, and that the word ratta has not been found in Prakrit literature. And, as far as our actual knowledge goes, the forms which the Sanskrit word rashtra, '& country,' would assume in the Prikrits, are raffha, ratha and rata. We have the form raţtha in Sarattba, = Surashtra, and Sôrattha, = Saurashtra, which instances Professor Pischel has given me from, respectively, Hémachandra, 2, 34, and Trivikrama, 1, 4, 14; and the use of it evidently underlies the Jaina-Mahârâshtri, Satrasêni, and Apabhramsa word Marahattha, for Maharattha,=Maharashtra, and the Maharashtri word Marahatthi, for Maharatthi, = Mahiråshtri. In Påli, we have the independent word raffha itself, = rashtra, in the sense of 'kingdom, realın, country, land, district.' And, in epigraphy, we have Bátahans-saffhê, "in the province of Satahani."4 We have the form ratha, in epigraphy, in Saratha, = Surashtra, in one of the Násik inscriptions of Puļamåyi. And we have the form rata, attributable no doubt to the tendency to avoid aspirates in the Dravidian languages, in Sorata, = Saurashtra, which is given as an instance of the changes of au too and of shy to in the illustrations of Kêsiraja's Kanarese Sabdamanidarpana, sutras 270, 283. So far, no authority can be obtained for saying that the form raffa, = rashtra, 'country,' actually occurs. However, according to the Sabdamanidarpana, sutra 283, the Sanskrit shf may become th, as well as t, in Kanarese ; and there are cases, such as duffa, = dushta, sitti, = srishti, and iftige, = ishtaka, in which that change has occurred. And so, also, in the Pråkpit languages technically so called, while the Sanskrit sht usually becomes fth, there are some cases in which it bas become if ; 88, for instance, in uffa, = ushfra, and a few other words. And we are, therefore, not prepared to say that the form raffa, = ráshtra, may not be found to occur, though it was not taught by Trivikrama, and though we cannot at present quote any instance of it.
But the name Batta was certainly not obtained from the word råsbţra, or from the name Rashtrakūta. The family-name, in its Sanskfit form, was, not R&shtra, but Rashtrakta. There was no name Rashtra, from which to obtain the name Ratta. From the name Rashtrakata we obtain, by corruption, in the most natural manner, R&shtróda, actually presented in a Verawal inscription of A.D. 1384, which speaks of Rdshtrôda-vanéa, “the race of the R&shtrodas," and describes it as a third race famous like the Solar and Lunar Races; and we shall not be
Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 14 a.
See Prof. Piachel's Prikrit Grammar, 354 Childers' Pali Dictionary, p. 403. The word figures in also raffhaoisind, inhabitants,' raţth Adhipo, 'A king,' and raffiko, ratthiyo, 'an inhabitant."
• Ep. Ind. Vol. I. p. 6, text line 87. And, evidently, the same word figures in the fiscal term a-raffha sadi. navikash in line 82 of the record, and is the basis of the official title ratthiba in line 4. As variants of this local term, connected with the other form rafha, we have a-raha-savinayika in Archeol. Sure, West. Ind. Vol. IV. p. 104, No. 18, line 4, and p. lub, No. 14, line 10, and a-ratha-savindyika in Vol. VI. above, p. 87, line 14
Anecol. Suro. Want. Ind. Vol. IV. p. 108, text line 3. For other instances of this form, in a certain flacat expression, see the preceding noe.
Dr. Kittel's edition, pp. 356, 370. so, also, Sorata is given the corruption of Saurlahtra in the illustrations of satra 160 of Bhattkalankadora's Karndtakalabddnwidges, Bangalore, 1890.
See Prof. Piachel', Prakrit Grimmar, 308. See id. 806 Antiquarias Bingine is the Bombay Presidency, 1897, p. 258.