Indian Antiquary Vol 12

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 38

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[FEBRUARY, 1883.
and were all made subjects of the Uttamabha- Sanskrit rules of sandhi, according to which it dra Kshatriyas. Thence I went to the Push- should be devatábhyo. Another instance ockaras, and there by me ablutions were made, curs, lower down, in parshabhyaḥ for Sansk. and three thousand cows were given as well parshadbhyo. Of course, where the omission of as a village.
sandhi coincides with a pause, and serves as As regards the language of this Inscription, & sort of interpunctuation, no stress can be it is usually said that the first portion is San- laid on it as a mark of Gathê usage; for a skrit, while the latter part is a mixture of similar practice may be met with in Sanskrit Sanskrit and Prakrit. This description is not writing. But it is different with cases like quite correct; thu first portion is not exactly devatábhyah, parshabhyah, which occur in the Sanskrit; forms like bhojápayitrá or ubhato are midst of the flow of a sentence. The case is certainly not Sanskrit, but Prakrit (or Påli). still more striking, if the omission of sandhi Again, the latter portion, if Prakrit, is, at all occurs in the middle of a compound, as in the events, a very peculiar sort of Prakrit, seeing third line, in dvdtrišatnáligera", which, by the that it admits the vowel ri, the conjunct conso- Gatha standard is quite correct, but which nant ksh and other peculiarities unknown to the according to Sanskrit rule should be dvdtriordinary Pali-Prakrit, but distinctive of San- sannálígerao. skrit. The fact is, the Inscription is composed The meaning of the first line is clear, with in one kind of language throughout, and that the exception of the compound suvarnadánatirlanguage is the so-called Gâthå dialect, one of thakarena. Professor Bhandarkar translates it, the distinctive features of which is a curious "he presented gold and constructed flights of mixture of Sanskritic and Prakritic elements. steps," treating it as a dvandva-compound;' lit.
The only peculiarity of this Inscription is, that "by the maker of presents of gold and of in the earlier part the Sanskritic element pre- steps." This would be a curious juxtaposition dominates, bat in the latter part the Prakritic. of work done, and 'dánakarena would be, I This will be seen at once by a glance at my imagine, a rather anidiomatic expression. Dr. revised text, where I have distinguished the Prå- Stevenson's translation," he established for the kritic elements by printing them in italics. I presenting of gold a holy place on the river employ the term “Gâthi dialect," as a mere Bårnåsa," is possible; but Prof. Bühler's matter of convenience, being the name hitherto version, which I have adopted, is undoubtedly generally used. The term is, however, a mis- the most probable ; lit., the phrase means "who nomer, since it has become known that the made a Tirtha by the gift of gold." Bhoja. dialect, or rather language, is employed not only payitrá is a Prakritised form of the Causal in verse, but also in prose writings of the verb, very common in the Gath&; the Sanskrit Buddhists. I cannot here further enter into would be bhojayitrů. the question of the Gåthå dialect; but the In the second line, there are again three subject will be found fully discussed in the instances of sandhi, or rather disregard of sandhi, Introduction to my edition of the Bakhshali characteristic of the Gatha. We have brahmaneManuscript which will shortly be published by bhyaḥ ashțao for Sanskrit brahmanebhyo'shtao; order of the Panjab Government. I shall, bow- again the hiatus in the compound 'tadágaever, in the course of the following remarks, udapánao for Sanskrit otadágodapánao; lastly point out most of the Gatha characteristics that ubhato tiraiit for Sanskrit ubhayatas tiran. Prooccur in this inscription.
fessor Bhandarkar, under the impression that In the first line Ushavadáta, I suppose, is a the record is in Sanskrit, naturally was stagPrakritic form of the Sanskrit Rishabhadatta.? gered by the anomalous form ubhato, and hence In devatábhyah, we have an instance of the he proposes to substitute ubhaya, forming a characteristic Gåthå disregard of the ordinary compound with tiran. The original, however,
See, e.g., the excellent edition of the Mandvastu, Dr. Stevenson read devatebhyah after Lieut. Brett's lately published by M. Senart.
copy. The latter is a true Gáthå form, and, therefore In this Prof. Bühler agrees with me. In the Veda, might be genuine, data is said to occur for datta. Or dita might have been In Sanskrit: 5ater * 7:lla gare "purified by Rishabha.
after: 11 • Prof. Bühler reads devatabhyaḥ, but in the new im. 10 At least, so I understand the bracketed ya in his prossion the top of the letter and vowel siga are chipped. text; suggesting ubhayatiranh.