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PRAKRIT AND SANSKRIT NAMES OF NASIK CAVE-HILL
165
It is hardly necessary to add anything here to explain the derivation of Pkt. tiraṇhu from the semi-tatsama tirasnu. About the semi-tatsama itself in its relation to Skt. trisnu it may be observed that as the difficulty was felt in the pronunciation of the cluster tr at the beginning of the word,tri > tir(a), thus giving rise to tirasnu, which became quite a parallel to trisanu, both from the point of view of the number of the syllables and their metrical value ( -- ~).
Normally Skt. tri- is represented as ti- in the MIA languages. But it apepers as tira in the present case as it happens to be a part of the semi-tatsama. Such dissolution of a consonant cluster with rin the first syllable is seen already in such instances of the MIA stage as kriya > kiriya or kiria (Prschel & 131, $ 135); stī > siră, hrī > hiri (PISCHEL § 135, GEIGER 8 8).14
Moreover tri itself appears as tir(a) in some of the numerals of the Modern Indian Languages.15 Thus for instance, for 53 we have tirpan (Hindi, Nepālī), tirpanna (Marāthi), tirwanja (Lahndā); for 63 we have tirsath (Hindi, Nepāli); for 73, tirahattar (Hindi); for 83, tirās? (Hindi, Nepāli, Bangāli, Panjābi, Lahndā), tiryasi (Marāthi); for 93, tiränave (Hindi, Lahndā), tirānabe (Nepāli), tiränabbai (Bangāli), tiryānnav (Marathi); for 43, tirtāli (Lahndā), tartāli (Panjābi). In addition we may note the use of tiri (Marathi), tiri (Gujaräti) in the game of cards.16 Also tir appears as the word for 3 in the Dardic languages.
T
In this connection it may also be observed that tir occurs for tri in the popular pronunciation of many words beginning with tri. The following examples17 cited from TURNER's Nepali Dictionary have correspondences in many of the modern languages of north India : tirphala (triphalā), tirbeni (tribeni), tirbhuvan (tribhuvan), tirsul (trisul). Another similar instance, but not connected with the numeral tri, is Nepāli tirsanā < trisnä <trsna.
With regard to the treatment of this initial cluster we may also observe the following correspondences for Skt. strī : tiriya Nepāli, tiri Assamese, and tirya Panjabi.
Now both snů and sānu' summit, peak' occur in relationship with the words for mountain like giri, ádri, and pårvata since the earliest times,18 We even get tri and sānu together in the expression sānuşu trisú in Rv. II.3.7, where, however,
14. We may further compare gräsa > garása, trasyati > tarasai, pramāna > paramana, prasanna > parasanna (PiSCUEL § 132)
15. For illustrations, I am indebted to TURNER, Nepali Dictionary, (London, 1981). 16. Hindi tiyd, Nepáli tiya or liyo, Panjabi tia.
17. It is possible to multiply these instances by citing pronunciations like titkál (trikal), lirkon (trikon) etc.; the tendency is witnessed also in other instances like taran (tran), taras (tras), etc.
18. cf. Rv. 8.46.18; 1.117.16, 155.1 ; 6.61.2 ; 8.96.2.
Madhu Vidya/248
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