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PRAKRIT AND SANSKRIT NAMES OF NASIK CAVE-HILL
that trirami is just the translation of trisnu: trisānu effected on the following lines. The Sanskrit lexicographers give 'arka' as one of the meanings of sānu." The word arka itself has various meanings, one of which is the ray' which is attested since early times. The Sanskrit name of the hill trirasmi 'having three rays' is therefore not the original name of the hill, but a secondary one obtained by translating sanu with rasmi (on the basis that both have the common meaningarka).
Such translations of proper names with the help of synonyms are not uncommon in ancient literature. In fact a similar translation of trisänu itself, but with the use of another word for 'ray' viz. bhanu (instead of rasmi), has been recorded in the case of the name of a king, a descendant of Turvasu. The name of this king appears as Trisänu in the Vayupurana 99-1-2, and in the Brahmaṇḍapurana 3.74.1-2. But the name of the same person appears as Tribhanu in the Bhagavatapurana 9-28-16-17, which is evidently a variant of Trisanu due to the translation of sānu by bhānu (in the sense of arka 'ray').
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It will thus be seen that tiranhu does not come from trirasmi. As shown above, both originate from trisnu: trisinu, the one through the semi-tatsama tirasnu, the other through the translation of sanu by rasmi.
24. cf. Sabdakalpadruma under sānu : arkaḥ/pallavaḥ|iti Jaṭādharaḥ Also cf. Sabdartha cintamani s.v.
25. turvasos tu suto vahnir vahner gobhānur ātmajaḥ | gobhānos tu suto viras trisānu aparajitaḥ || karandhamas trisānos tu..........
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26. turvasoś ca suto vahnir vahner bhargo 'tha bhanuman | tribhānus tatsuto 'syāpi karandhama udaradhiḥ // The other variants recorded for this name are Traisanu (Harivamsa 1.32.117-118, and also one ms. of the Visnupurana 4.16.2), Trayisānu (Visnupurēna 4.16.2, Gita Press, Gorakhpur), Traiśāni (Agnipurana 276.1, Traisali as noted by WILSON in his translation of the Visnupurana IV.116), Trisari (Matsyapurana 48.1-2, Trisari as noted by WILSON op. cit.), Aisanu (Brahmapurana 18.142-143), and Traisamba (Visnupurana 4.16.2, Calcutta edn.). It is clear that Trayisānu, Traisanu, Aisanu, Traiśāni, Traiśali, Trisari, and Trisari are all corruptions of Trisānu. Traisamba for Triśamba seems to be a translation of Tribhānu as Samba (for Samba) is noted as a particular form of the sun. (See MONIER-WILLIAMS Sanskrit Dictionary, s. v.). For the references to the Purana literature, with regard to these variants, I am intebted to M. M. CHITRAY SASTRI, Pracina Caritra-Kośa, Poona, 1932.
Madhu Vidya/250
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