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
the author has produced some verse of his own, or they are deliberately changed in order to give them a Digambara Jain colouring instead of a Buddhist one: a clear instance is provided by the riddle of the variety called tārkya, where the stanza is so built as to yield the answers vijñānavādinah in the VMM (2.58) andanekantavādah in the AC (2.59)". Whatever the case, a close comparison with the VMM always proves useful, especially when, more often than once, the present text of the AC (and its Hindi rendering) are unsatisfactory. One of the aims of this paper is to show that the second chapter of this work cannot be neglected by those who study riddles12.
(1)13
2. Grammatical riddles meant to test basic knowledge of the language are illustrated by the following stanza :
...kim vā rūpam tado jasi ?
śatr-caturthy-ekavaco bhavater iha kim bhavet ? (bhavate; Jayasimhasūri, Dharmopadeśamālā-vivarana p. 43).
... Or what is the form of tad in the nominative plural ? te
What would be the form for the root bhū in the present participle dative singular ? bhavate
This is one among many cases showing the all-pervading prevalence of Pāninian metalanguage, at use even in works of indisputable Jain origin, Here, the aim is not to investigate the familiarity with a specific grammatical school and its terminology, but only to ask a rather simple question which should not arouse any difficulty for anybody having a minimal training in indigenous Sanskrit grammar. As a matter of fact, the technical terms used are of an elementary type. The answer to the first grammatical question is to some extent dependent on the answer to the second one, since jas could theoretically refer to the feminine as well as to the neuter. But both answers have to be compatible, therefore täh/ tāni are easily ruled out.
Practice of language and knowledge of technical terminology go together in the following question :
*... pada-nipunaih pañcami kena vācyā ? (bhämäratasanatemanasi; JP 71)
By which (element) can the connoisseurs in the field of words express the ablative case ? - By tas (tasā, instr. sg.).