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Vol. XVI, No. 3
67
The fact is that the substitution of ch or cch by $ is rather historical. It is normally seen that palatal ś or sibilants in general become ch. For example śāvaka>chãa, sa>cha and saptaparņa> chatti-vanno and Hc. has made a sūtra for that ---șaț-sami-śāva-sudhasaptarne-şvādeschaḥ (1.265). This implies that sibilants, particularly palatal sibilant, has a quality of palatal ch inherent in it. Naturally when ch is again replaced by a palatal sound in Māgadhi, it is replaced by palatal $ as every sibilants ș and s is changed into palatal sibilant in Māgadhi. Naturally there is every reason to believe that ch should be replaced by palatal s in Māgadhi and c is there simple because ch is only replaced and naturally the other part i, e, cis retained. It is only a question of metathesis that comes first making it Śc. It is a fact worthnoting in this connection that IE palatal k series is also changed into palatal in Sanskrit, though k, becomes s but kh will be what ? The answer is often given as sh wbich is ultimately, though lost, is revived again in Sanskrit in Sandhi like tarucchāyā, and this perhaps is again reflected in Māgadhi as śc. Though it is not certain whether this phenomenon can be historically established, it can be said only this much that there is a direct line of investigation where the above explanation can be offered for giving a proper appriciation of the development of—(c) ch--into śc in Māgadhi. 6. On tbe Formation of ññ in Māgadhi :
On the development of jñ ñj into ññ in Māgadhi, there is a problem. In Māgadhi dialect ñ ñj becomes ññ. In almost in all the good editions of Sanskrit dramas this feature is found. Though occasionally in some edition jñ ñj changes into jj, for example, in the Sakuntală in some editions the reading lajjā de padiggahe dinne is found; where lajjā in Pischel's editions is found as laññā. This is almost true in all other good editions with regard to the development of jñ ñj into ññ.
But it is strange to note that the Eastern Prakrit grammarians, such as Vr., Pu, Ki., RT. and Mk. are completely silent on this particular point. They have not formulated any sutra on this phenomenon. This phenomenon is regarded as one of the very vital points of Māgadhi. Māgadhi, being a dialect belonging to the eastern region of India, it seems alarming why they have not made any sūtra on this particular point. On the contrary Hc. and Tv. being Westerners have made a sūtra on this particular point. It is not only in and ñj but also ny and ny also become ññ. The sūtra of Hc, together with Tv. is given below,
nya-nya-jña-ñjām ññaḥ (Hc. 4.293) nya-nya-jña-ñjām ñar (Tv. 3.2.37)
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