Indian Antiquary Vol 46

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[FEBRUARY, 1917
Hemachandra says, in the introductory verses of his Dêsînamamâlâ, that in his work will be given such words as are not explained in, his Grammar, are not to be found in lexicons and do not owe their origin to the power called gunilakshana (i. e., which are not used in a metaphorical sense). He further says that numerous forms have been used in the various provincial dialects, and that the term desi has been used to denote only those words which have been used from times immemorial in Prâkrit. While several provincialisms given in Desinamamalâ can be traced back to Dravidian origin, some go back to Persian. Cf. P. angutthalam, ring,' Pers, angushtari, Pehl. angust, Zend. angusta. For the change of st to th, cf. S. hasta, 'hand,' P. hattha. 2. P. dattharô, handkerchief,' Pers. dastar, a napkin, towel.' (For change of medial à to a cff. S. prastava, P. patthava) 3. P. bandhô, a servant,' New Pers. bandah, a servant,' Pehl, bandak, Old Pers. banda ka. 4. P. parakkam, a river,' Pers. parak, 'name of a river. For the use of proper nouns as common cp. P. gondam, a forest,' P. gandivam, a bow.' Punjabi ganesh 'a due' paid to Hindu shrine. 5 P. bokkad, a goat,' is evidently the Prâkṛit form of S. varkara, young animal,' which is evidently to be traced back through Persian to Arabic bagar ox, bull,' Hebrew, baqar, young animal.' (For change of medial a to o cf. S. padma, lotus,' P. pomm7, and for change of r to d cf. S. bhêra. P. bhêda.) 6. P. jayana, saddle,' cf. Pers. zin, Pehl. zin, Zend, zaini.
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We learn from Mr. Vincent A. Smith's Early History of India that the Pahlavas settled in Western India as the lords of a conquered native population about the second century, A. D. and that the author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, (5 century A. D.) found the valley of the Lower Indus under the rule of the Parthian chiefs. After the battle of Nahavend in 641 A. D. in which the last Persian dynasty was overthrown by the Arabs, a large number of Zoroastrians from Persia came and settled in India. Muhammad Kasim, a great general was deputed by the Caliph of Baghdad to conquer India about 711 A. D., and the Arabs ruled in India until they were turned out of Sind by the Rajputs. During the time of Muhammad of Ghazni (A. D. 997-1030), famous in Indian History for his twelve expeditions, one of his vazirs, being more a man of business than learning, introduced the practice of writing all public papers in Persian. Elphinstone in his History of India says that it is owing to this circumstance that although India was never directly conquered by Persia, the language of business and of writing in general, is all taken from the latter country. Hence we need not be surprised if we should find Persian words in Prâkrit, since we find Persian and Arabic words in the Dravidian languages, on account of Muhammadan rule in Southern India. Hemachandr, is therefore perfectly justified in supposing that provincialisms borrowed from Persian have been in use 'from times immemorial'.
The following are a few of the desi words in Hemachandra's Désinamamâlâ, of which I attempt to give the Dravidian affinities. In deciding whether a word is Dravidian or not I have followed in general the same principles as those followed by Dr. Kittel and Dr. Caldwell (vide Dr. Kittel's Kannada-English Dictionary, Preface p. XIV-XVI).
Nouns of Relationship. Of the seven nouns of relationship borrowed by the Prakrits five are distinctly Dravidian. 1. P. appô, father' is found in almost all the Dravidian dialects. 2. P. amma, wva, mother.' Amma is found in all the Dravidian dialects except Tulu. In Canarese avva, avve, means 'a mother or grandmother.' In Telugu avva means a grandmother.' 3. P. akka, sister,' in Sanskrit, mother.' In the Dravidian dialects akka means ' sister, as in Prakrit. 4. P. attâ, 'father's sister.' cf. Dr. 'atta father's sister,' 5. P. mâmî, mother-in-law.' cf. Dr. mâmi 'mother in law.' 6. P. bhâvô, 'elder