Grammatical Riddles from Jain Works

Author(s): Nalini Balbir
Publisher: Z_Nirgranth_Aetihasik_Lekh_Samucchay_Part_1_002105.pdf and Nirgranth_Aetihasik_Lekh_Samucchay_Part_2

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Nalini Balbir
Jambu-jyoti
among the semi-vowels?? ?' (vss. 13-14) respectively mean words including ma and va. When they occur, indirect statements based on numerical equivalences are not too difficult to grasp : 'What is the phoneme in the sequence of phonemes and at the same time the label of a group of consonants which corresponds to the digits of the moon ?' (vs. 3) refers to ta, the 16th consonant, and 'What is the letter in the chart of consonants (ka-ka-lekhake) that has got the (same nunber as the) number of Jinas ?' (vs. 6) refers to bha, the 24th consonant. The point is then to use this information as a hint to answer the other questions of the stanza, which are much more tricky, to find out ekāksaras or dvyaksaras containing the given consonant (e.g., mama, ami, mimu, mu, ume, amai, mas, ama, aumam and mas are the words answering the different questions put in vs. 7).
Jinavallabha combines the use of the alphabet as well as lexicographical matter in a sophisticated manner which is peculiar to his work. The first stage is to produce new synonyms for words offered in the question by adding or suppressing syllables in a given phonetic sequence (dhvani, sabda, pada, varnāli). Then comes the real answer to the riddle, which consists in making a bahuvrihi-compound describing how the starting phonetic sequence has been modified. There are 16 such instances which can be classified as follows according to the pattern they exhibit :
The starting point is a word, i.e. a meaningful phonetic sequence which will acquire a different meaning suiting the question once it has been submitted to modification. The position within the alphabet of the letter to be discovered is described in a rather indirect fashion :
* jāmātaram samākhyāti kidršo vathara-dhvanih? (agadaśamah; JP 35)
How does the word 'stupid' denote a bridegroom ?--Once it is deprived of the tenth letter, starting with ga (a-ga-daśamah), i.e. tha : vathara + vara.
* aśiva-dhvanir ākhyāti tiryag-bhedam ca kidrśah ? (aparäjayah; JP 15) How does the word 'inauspicious' denote a kind of animal ?.Once the vowel coming after a is removed (a-paraj-ayah, where ac is the pratyähära for a vowel in Pānini's grammar), i.e. i : aśiva → aśva 18.
* brüte sipha-dhvanir atha Sriyam atra kidrk? (visadapañcamaḥ; JP 53)