Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 58
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[AUGUST, 1929
Dawk. In the note on Dawk, all that the authors say in regard to its etymology is that it seems to thern that Ibn Batûta's "dawah is some misunderstanding of dúk." This is not very illuminating, but if it means that dák is the original or most correct form and dawah a corruption, I venture to say that the truth is exactly the reverse. Dák is really derived from the Sanskrit dhavaka, runner, from dhiv to run. And the Mahrâtti form dhawa is actually used by Barni and Badâonî. In the passage from the first of these authors quoted by Yule at the head of his article, we find: "At every half or quarter kos, runners are posted." Here, the Persian text reads thus:
و در هر منزلی اسپان الاغ و در تمامی راه در مسافت نیم کروه و دانگ گروه در اوگان نششتندی
Elliot and Dowson, III, 203; Bibl. Ind., Text, p. 33, l. 1.
And at p. 244 of Dowson's translation, Barnî, in speaking of the troubles in Dhâr and Malwa in the reign of Muhammad Tughlaq, writes: Famine prevailed there: the posts were all gone off the road."
Here, again, the word rendered by posts is 'dhawa."
و در ماوه هم قحط افتاده بود و دهاوه بکلی از تمام راه برخاسته
Bibl. Ind., Text, p. 331, 1. 1.
This word occurs also in two other passages which have not been translated by Dowson. Text, 330, 1. 18 and 447 last line. And Badâonî likewise informs us :
"In the year H. 727 (A.D. 1326-27) the Sultan [Muhammad Tughlaq] having formed the design of proceeding to Deogir, posted a chain of dhawa, that is to say paiks, or runners, as guards at distances of one kuroh along the whole road." Ranking's translation, I. 302. Bibl. Ind., Text, I, 226. There can be little doubt, I think, that Dawk, Dâk, is directly derived from this dhâvaka or dhavah, runner. And that the original meaning of the indigenous word was runner' is further shown by the fact that the contemporary author of the Masâliku-l-Absar says in his description of the Postal system of Muhammad Tughlaq that "at each of the posts ten swift runners were stationed, whose duty it was to convey letters. to the next station without delay" and uses the Arabic word Shutter for 'runners." Elliot and Dowson, III, 576 and 581. Similarly the author of the Tabaqât-i-Akbari in his account of the dak chowki system of Alauddin Khalji, says that at every kuroh (or kos), paiks were stationed, and explains that that Hindi word paik signifies als ul, sofast running footmen.' Lucknow Text, 82, 11, 12-13. And lastly, Wassâf explicitly declares that infantry, i.e., these paiks are called in the language of the people of India Dakk. Elliot and Dowson, III, 43.
I may add that dhav, to run, is given in Molesworth's Marathi Dictionary, and Dhow, or Dow-used for "an old fashioned vessel of Arab build" is most probably derived from the same root and signifies 'runner,' just like the synonymous word pattamar which is derived from Konkani pathmár, courier. (Yule, 8. v.).
Deuti. At the head of his note on this word, Yule has cited a passage from Bâbur's Memoirs. But the following extract shows that it had been incorporated in the lingua franca almost two hundred years before the coming of the Mughal. In his description of the assassi nation of Sultân Qutbu'd-dîn Mubarak Khaljî, Barnî writes:
"All persons that were in the palace or upon the roof were slain by the Parwâris [after the murder] who filled all the upper story. The watchmen fled and hid themselves. Tho Parwâris lighted torches; they then cast the headless trunk of the Sultan into the courtyard." Tarikh-i-Firûzshahi in Elliot and Dowson, III, 223.
The word used for torches in the original is diwatha. Bibl. Ind., Text, 408, 1. 6; and mush'alha and diwatha occur also at 408, 1. 1.*.
(To be continued.)
[In the illustrative quotations, the Italics are mine. The word which is the subject of discussion has been so printed in order to enable the reader to spot it at a glance and find the context in which it occurs. Italic type has been also used for other words and phrases of Oriental origin.-S. H. H.]
