Nalrayavadanti Charita

Author(s): Ernest Bender
Publisher: American Philosophical Society

Page 12

272
Some of the phonemic distinctions are not consistently represented in the spelling of the manuscripts.
The rhymes of a with u and i reflect a replacement of the nominative and accusative singular suffixes in i and u by the a suffixes, the traditional spelling being kept. Compare the following rhymes:
BENDER: THE NALARAYADAVADANTICARITA
naresu 'monarch' with kumāru 'prince' with hetu 'cause' with
suvesa (4) 'ornamented' dätära (HS 73) 'generous' sameta (140) 'accompanied by'
hathiara (83) 'weapons' viveka (H 184) 'discrimination'
jinesa 'lord of Jinas' with bhanesu (B 1) 'say' ahāra 'food' with vicări (12) 'reflect' cāru 'beautifully' with jhanakāra (HS 57) 'tinkling' pasaramta (198) 'spread' abhyasa (P 218)
'instruction'
jhujhāri 'fight' with eki 'one' with
jhuramti 'grieving' with päsi 'near' with
laju 'modesty' with
niravaja (S 279) 'not censuring' sameta 'accompanied by' hetu (297) 'cause' juvarajja (S 300) 'crown prince' vasi (P 300) 'perfumed'
raju 'realm' with
vilāsa 'joy' with
In the writing i, in medial and final position, represents both the vowel i and the consonantal i of diphthongs. The character ya represents the consonant y (with inherent vowel a), as well as the consonantal į of diphthongs. This is shown by the rhymes of ai with aya (and ayu) and oi with oya, and by the alternation in the writing of all the manuscripts between ai and aya, ai and aya, ii and iya, ii and iya, ui and uya, and oi and oya. These indicate that in such vowel clusters the i was being replaced in the spoken language by the consonantal j. That is to say, these vowel clusters were being replaced by the diphthongs ai ai i ii ui oj. For metrical reasons, however, it appears that these were read as vowel plus vowel i, since in the meters the clusters ai ii öi require a count of three rather than two morae. Compare the following rhymes:
ai with aya (and ayu): raya 'king' with amtarai (H 10) 'obstacle'
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jayu 'was born' with maim (26) 'measure'
gai 'sing' with raya (B 89) 'king'
jai 'goes' with vaya (H 127) 'wind'
raya 'king' with suthai (H 228) 'well'
[TRANS. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
raya 'king with pasai 8 (253) 'aid'
pai 'foot' with sadaya (P 294) 'ever' samaväim 10
combination'
with muniraya (316) 'excellent muni'
oi with oya: koi 'any' with hoya (B 144)
raya 'king' with jai (274) 'go'
ii with iya:
ii with iya:
Compare the following spelling variations: ai with aya:
'be' rasoya 'meal' with koi (B 269) 'any'
P susavayam, H susavaim, B susāvai (13) 'lay disciple'
HP savaya, B savai (22) 'lay disciple' HP manimaya,11 B manimai (48) 'bejewelled'
HPS paithi, B payathi 12 (62) 'entered' H kaya, PBS kai (101) 'any'
H varisaim, B varasai, P varisayam, S varisaya (126) 'rain'
H aranodaya, PBS arunodai (254) 'sunrise'
HPS chailla, B chayala (256) 'clever' BH udaya, PS udai (259) 'appearance'
BHS udaya, P udai (304) 'appear
ance'
HPS visaya, B visai (308) 'senses' ai with aya: HPS raim, B raya (89) 'king' HPS pasai, B pasaya (253) 'aid' HPS mãi, B māya (264) ‘measure HPS jäisi, B jāyasi (285) 'go' HPS jäi, B jāya (303) 'go'
BP amtaraya, H amtarai (10) 'obstacle'
BP sadāya, HS sadă-i (294) 'ever' HS dii, S diya (101) 'give' BH dii, S diya (126) 'give' HS posiim, P poşii, B poşiya (88) 'feed'
Cf. MG pasay (m) 'favor.'
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Cf. MG pay (m) 'foot.'
H davadamtiya, PBS davadamtii (128) 'Davadanti'
HPS phulliya, B phuliim (261) 'blossoming'
HPS phaliya, B phalii (261) 'bearing
fruit'
10 Cf. MG samaväy (m) 'relation, combination.'
11 Cf. MG manimay (adj.) 'jewelled.'
12 In MG the change has gone on to open è, e.g., pěsvũ 'enter' and past participial base pěth-. For discussions on the replace
Vyas places this process in the period 1450-1500 V.S. See ment of ai by ě (and au by o) see Tessitori, § 10.4, Divatia, 1921: Vyas, 1942: xxxiv-xxxvii and lxvi for his remarks.
Cf. MG antaray (m) 'impediment.' 7 Cf. MG jay 'he goes."
1: 175-187 and 2: 69, where he sets the evolution of ai to ě and au to o in the period 1700-1750 V.S., and Divatia, the wide sound of E and O, Indian Antiquary 46, 1917.