In Search of the Original Ardhamagadhi English Translation

Author(s): K R Chandra, N M Kansara, Nagin J Shah, Ramniklal M Shah
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

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ARCHAIC LINGUISTIC ELEMENTS IN THE ARDHAMĀGADHI
anterior to that of assimilation. According to Pischel (132, 133), the anaptyxix in the case of some of the conjunct consonants is found more in the Ardhamāgadhī. Some of the examples are as follows:
(words used in Ācārānga : agni = agani Sū. (34,37,39,211,212) usna
= usiņa (Sū. 107) tūşnika
tusiņia (Sū. 288) panyaśālā = paniyasālā (Sū. 278) vaiyāvstya = veyāvadiya (Sū. 199, 207,
219, 227) Some other examples given by Pischel (133) are :
kasiņa (krtsna or krsna), pasina (praśna), nigina (nagna), dihara, (dīghara-dirgha), etc. We may add the following to this list :
From the Isibhā. nitya = nitiya, ārya = āriya, paryaya = pariyāya, kāryam = kāriyaṁ (Ch. 11.3),
agnikāyaḥ = aganikāe (ch.10, p. 23.3) (D) The usage of ‘attā' for the word 'ātman :
Four alternative usages, viz., attā, ātā, āyā and appā are found in the place of the word ātman. Out of these, only attā form occurs in the Ashokan Inscriptions. Hence, this form is the oldest. In the Ashokan Inscriptions of the Western India we find the usage atpă instead of attā; and this atpă has later on changed to appā and has then been more prevalent. From attā developed ātā, and from the latter developed the word āyā gradually; these are thus later usages, from the chronological view-point.
In the first Śrutaskandha of the Ācārānga, which is the oldest Prakrit work, attā is found in greater proportion than the ātā, which is compara
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