Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 322

WESTERN INFLUENCE ON THE MYSORE EDICTS OF ASOKA
In the later Kharosthi inscriptions, the instances are not available. Among the later Brahmi inscriptions the use of -mana is found in the Nasik in the west and in the Nagarjunikonda in the south (cf. MEHENDALE § 207, § 259). There is thus reason to regard the middle participles in mana or mina as originally non-eastern.
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It has been suggested in f.n. 9 that on the basis of the contents of the inscriptions the minor rock edict seems to have been issued after the major rock edicts. If this suggestion is correct it will show that the affinity of the Mysore version with the east in certain cases can be explained to be due to certain elements borrowed from the east in the north-western versions of Asoka's major rock edicts, and which were thus known in the north-west when the minor rock edict was issued from there.
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(1) The semi-vowel y is changed to v in dighavusa in the Mysore versions. This is an eastern tendency as the change y> v is seen in the optative terminations in D, J. cf. vasevu, nikhamavů, etc. As against this the non-eastern tendency is to preserve -yu." cf. vaseyu S,M,G, śruneyu S, M, etc. The presence of in v viṣava (vişaya) in S, (but viṣaya in M and visaya in G) is therefore to be attributed to the eastern influence. The v in dighāvusa is thus due to the influence of borrowed words like visava in the north-western versions. It is interesting to note here that among the separate edicts the Dhauli version gives optatives with the eastern -vu (asvasevu etc.) while the Jaugada version gives the same forms with the non-eastern -yu (asvaseyu etc.)
(2) The cluster vy is normally dissolved in the eastern versions (vy viy), but assimilated in the north-west (vy vv), and preserved in the west. In respect of this cluster the Mysore versions show a mixture of the eastern and the non-eastern tendencies. Thus the cluster is dissolved, as in the east, in such instances as susüsitaviya (suśrūṣitavya), vataviya (vaktavya), and pavatitaviya (pravartitavya). Now though the assimilation of this cluster is noted as the normal north-western tendency above, we find a few
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40. Pāli also has dighayu (GEIGER § 101), though in Pali instances where y> v are also to be found (GEIGER § 46). For the preservation of y in ayu and visaya in the later south Indian copper-plate grants cf. PISCHEL § 253. The change of y> u in a few forms is noted by PISCHEL $254 for Ardhamägadhi Jain Märästi, Apabhrarisa and secondarily for Paisici.
41. The change of y to v is not noted either in the Niya Prakrta or in the later Kharosthi inscriptions.
42. MEHENDALE § 43 (4)...
43. The cluster gy is also dissolved in arogiya (arogya) in br, sd. Later Kharoşthi has the normal assimilation in the case of this word, cf. aroga (KONOW, Nos. 27, 35, etc.) and arogi (BURROW §9).
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