Madhuvidya

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

Page 88

SANSKRIT SAKHI
89
goes) to one's father, to you, with shining body, (they come) with sacrifice for being borne in it (sacrifice = chariot). You become a son (to him) who dedicates himself to you, you become) his well-disposed charioteer (and) protect him from
attack.' It is easy to understand that sákhi which originally meant driving in the same chariot, a charioteer, a warrior' came later to mean 'an associate' or 'a friend'. It is likely that in some passages even in the Rgveda sakhi is used in the sense of a companion, a friend! 35 But as shown above, the meaning 'charioteer, warrior' is better suited to the context in a large number of Rgvedic passages.
The stem sákhi- is known for its peculiar declension. The first five forms are derived from the strengthened grade (sakhai-). In the nom. sg., however, we have sakha and not sákhāi. For this final ā, instead of -ai, Wackernagel has already noted a parallel form agná (loc. sg.) for *agnái.36 It has also been pointed out that Avestan has nom. sg. kavå (from kavi-).
According to Burrow,37 the 2-stems and the u-stems developed three kinds of declension. The oldest is represented by sákhi- with its nom. sg. sákhā.38 The second is represented by a few u-stems with the nom. sg. dyaús, gaús. And the third is represented by the usual type with nom. sg. -is, -us. As regards the declension of sákhi, O. Szemerényi 39 has a different explanation. In his view the nom. sg. sakha is influenced by rājā 'king and śāstā 'ruler.' The acc. sg. sákhāyam shows that the influence must have come from an -n stem and/or an agent noun in -tar. He concludes, “It seems, then, that, on closer scrutiny, sakhā reveals itself as an unique deviation due to analogy, not as an archaic IE type."
35. E. g. 10.34.2, 10.95.15. 36. Alt. Gr. I $ 93, p. 106. 37. The Sanskrit Language pp. 180-181. 38. Besides Avestan kavā, Burrow also notes apratá RV 8.32.16. He also calls
attention to feminine derivatives like agadri (and manavi) and first members
in compounds agna-visnu and kavi-sakha. 39. KZ 73, 193-194 (1956). For Kuiper's view in this regard see his Notes on
Vedic Noun-Inflerion p. 64.
Madhu Vidyā/63