A Grammar of Epic Sanskrit 9783110899344, 9783110144482

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Thomas Oberlies A Grammar of Epic Sanskrit

Indian Philology and South Asian Studies Edited by

Albrecht Wezler and Michael Witzel

Volume 5

w DE

G Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York 2003

Thomas Oberlies

A Grammar of Epic Sanskrit

w DE

_G Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York 2003

® Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines of the A N S I to ensure permanence and durability.

ISSN 0948-1923 ISBN 3-11-014448-4 Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche

Bibliothek

Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at < h t t p : / / d n b . d d b . d e > .

© Copyright 2003 by Walter de Gruyter G m b H & Co. K G , D-10785 Berlin All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. N o part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Germany Printing: W. Hildebrand, Berlin Binding: Lüderitz & Bauer-GmbH, Berlin Cover design: Rudolf Hübler, Berlin

To the memory of E. D. KULKARNI a n d NlLMADHAV SEN

and also to all editors of the Mahäbhärata and the Rämäyana as a token of my gratitude

Preface A grammar of 'Epic Sanskrit' has long been deemed a desideratum of Indology. More than a century ago, ALFRED LUDWIG stated that "eine erschöpfende grammatik der epischen spräche ... wäre ... eine ebenso wünschenswerte wie schwirige leistung" (1896: 10). And Louis RENOU complained that "les particularités de la langue ep. se trouvent disséminées dans les grammaires et snytaxes générales" (AiGr., Introduction générale p. 89 n. 333). Nor should I forget to mention numerous articles1, often published in journals difficult to obtain. In writing the present grammar all these publications2 have been critically sifted. The first task was that all cited forms and constructions had to be located in the critical editions of the Mahäbhärata and the Rämäyana3, whereby all references were converted - where necessary - to these editions. Then it was carefully examined whether these forms and constructions occur in a considerable number of manuscripts4, i.e. to rule out the possibility of them having arisen from mere textual corruption. It was further checked whether they really violate

1

Including the admirable entries in the Petersburger Wörterbücher (mostly) by OTTO VON BÖHTLINGK - mines of most valuable information. 2

Despite much assistance rendered by Indian and American colleagues two dissertations dealing with problems of Epic Sanskrit, viz. NLLMADHAV SEN'S Linguistic Study of the Rämäyana (based on various recensions). Calcutta 1951, and ANDREW YARROW'S Aberrrant Forms in the Mahäbhärata. Yale 1950, could not be obtained. And whether E. D. KULKARNI'S paper 'Epic and pauränic etymologies', mentioned in KULKARNI (1944/45: 6 n. 12), was ever published I am unable to say. 3

Almost needless to point out: all references to the epics are to the Critical Editions (CE) published at Poona and Baroda respectively, unless another edition is specified Ed. Cale, and Ed. Bomb, for the Mahäbhärata, Ed. Bomb. (Chaukhamba Sanskrit Series, Varanasi 1977), Ed. Gorr. and the North-Western Edition (ed. by BHAGAVAD DATTA, RAM LABHAYA a n d VISHVA BANDHU SHASTRI, L a h o r e

1928FF.) f o r t h e

Rämäyana. 4

Cases may, however, occur where a number of different manuscripts contain an erroneous reading. Thus this grammar is exposed to the risk that it contains forms which are mere scribal errors or blunders of tradition.

- Preface -

vm

Sanskrit grammar and syntax5 or - this was the second criterion for forms and constructions to be included into this grammar - whether they were attested for the very first time in the epics within Sanskrit literature. The material thus obtained was arranged in terms of well-known topics of traditional Sanskrit grammar6. The Epic Grammar that is now submitted certainly does not list every pecularity in every line of the two epics. But I do hope that each category has been covered. And attention has constantly been paid to practical needs. Thus reference has been made throughout to the Sanskrit grammars of KIELHORN, RENOU, STENZLER and WHITNEY and to the Altindische

Grammatik

o f WACKERNAGEL and DEBRUNNER. In order

to elucidate how an irregular form or syntagma arose, linguistic explanations have also been added. So the present grammar should prove useful for (Indo-European) linguistics too. And a concordance with EDGERTON'S

BHSG and the author's Pâli - A Grammar of the Language of the Theraväda Tipitaka might be a welcome addition for scholars working in the field of Middle Indian languages. Translations were added wherever they seemed useful. As a rule they are

5

To have a norm for classifying Epic forms and constructions as irregular, Panini's grammatical rules, checked by the actual usage of the Vedic texts, have been chosen. 6

A kind of 'programm' for a grammar of Epic Sanskrit was presented some time ago by K U L K A R N I (1943: 84): "Naturally the study of Unpäninian forms in the Critical edition of the Mahäbhärata falls into several classes according to its nature. It will comprise the following aspects. (1) Spelling, (2) guna or vrddhi, (3) syllabic haplology, (4) sandhi, (5) change of gender, (6) change of consonantal stem to vowel stem in nouns and adjectives, (7) confusion between different nominal stems, (8) strong base for weak and vice versa, (9) noun declension, (10) formation of feminine base, (11) declension of pronouns, (12) numerals, (13) confusion of roots, (14) conjugation of roots in different tenses and moods, (15) non-finite forms, (16) participles, (17) voice, (18) simplex and causative, (19) taddhita, (20) compounds, (21) syntax of cases, (22) tautology and word haplology, (23) negative particles, (24) use of tenses and moods, (25) illogicality, (26) concord, (27) use of ca, iti, sma, (28) use of prepositions, (29) historical present and (30) metres". Apart from the last one and no. (22) I did not take into account K U L K A R N I ' s numbers (2), (3) and (19), i.e. this grammar lacks a chapter on the formation of words. This is made good by the excellent treatment of this topic in Vol. 11,2 of the Altindische Grammatik.

- Preface -

IX

much indebted to those of VAN BUITENEN, as far as the Mahäbhärata is concerned, and GOLDMAN, LEFEBER, POLLOCK and SUTHERLAND for the Rämäyana. The following sigla, signs and abbreviations have been employed in the present grammar 7 : nom. abl. acc. dat. gen. instr. loc. sg· du. pl. m. η. f. V C Ν S Τ +

nominative ablative accusative dative genitive instrumental locative singular dual plural masculine neuter feminine any vowel any consonant any nasal any sibilant tenues seam of preverb / verb, stem / suffix or of a compound instead of, a substitute for analogical to side by side with

χ < *w.r. + *

blended with developed from based on wrong reading vox nihil reference to a paragraph or a page of the present grammar -* (V) reference to chapter XI

jag• jagafí si. sloka tri. tristubh pr. prose cad. cadence * (+ metrical schema) the irregular form was employed to avoid the given metrical schema Cr, Cm, Cgf, Ck, Ct commentaries of the Rämäyana (see critical edition Vol. I, p. XIV)

It is my pleasant task to thank all people and institutions that assisted me in writing and publishing this book. I am grateful to a number of friends and colleagues who have commented on various parts of it. My greatest

7

For abbreviations and signs of verbal forms see («*) p. 384.

χ

- Preface

debt of gratitude is to Prof. Dr. Dominic Goodall. Not only did he take the time to check my English but he also tendered excellent counsel on matters of Sanskrit grammar. Professor Dr. John Brockington read large parts of this grammar and selflessly made additions and corrections from his very rich collectanea. Professor Dr. Heinrich Hettrich checked almost everything bearing on syntax. His expertise spared me many 'syntactical' embarrasments. From Dr. Leonid Kulikov's, Professor Dr. Eva Tichy's and Professor Dr. Chlodwig Werba's comments on chapters dealing with the verb I have profited in no small way. My friend Leonid Kulikov also went through chapter two and made highly valuable suggestions. Many Indian friends and colleagues, in particular Professor Dr. Saroja Bhate and Professor Dr. S. D. Laddu, helped me to procure articles not (or not readily) available in Europe. Dr. Marcos Albino was kind enough to place at my disposal his as-yet-unpublished dissertation on the Vedic Denominatives which proved immensely helpful in writing chapter 8.11. Dr. Andreas Bigger provided me with numerous aberrant forms from book 16 through 18 of the Mahäbhärata when attending a class of mine on 'Epic Sanskrit', given at the institute of Professor Dr. Peter Schreiner, University of Zürich, in 1990 - when the enterprise of writing this grammar was still in its infancy. At that time Professor Dr. Muneo Tokunaga did not hesitate to make available his files of the Mahäbhärata and the Rämäyana. Without this help the present grammar could not have been written. Nor could it have, had not the German Research Council (DFG) financed a two-years-project in Freiburg; no less indispensable was its awarding to me a Heisenberg scholarship from 1994 through 2000. My heart-felt thanks go to this institution, as also to Professor Dr. Oskar von Hinüber who acted as head of the aforementioned project. And Professor Dr. Albrecht Wezler and Professor Dr. Michael Witzel were kind enough to accept this book for their series Indian Philology and South Asian Studies. Needless to say, the responsibility for any errors and omissions rests entirely with me. It also goes without saying that I shall be very grateful for information on any flaws of this book. Göttingen — Nikolausberg, 17th of July 2003

Table of contents Introduction I. Sandhi 1.1. Absence of sandhi 1.1.1. Absence of savarna-sandhi

ΧΧΙΠ - LVI 1-52 1-21 2

1.1.1.1. -a a-

2

1.1.1.2. rr-

6

1.1.1.3. -ÜÜ-

6

1.1.2. Absence of praslista-sandhi

7-13

1.1.2.1. -ai-

7

1.1.2.2. -aw-

8

1.1.2.3. -a r-

9

1.1.2.4. -a e-

12

1.1.2.5.-a aw-

13

1.1.3. Absence of ksaipra-sandhi

14-16

1.1.3.1.-fa -

14

1.1.3.2.-fw -

14

1.1.3.3. - i r -

14

1.1.3.4. -? o-

15

1.1.3.5. -Ü a-

15

1.1.3.6. -uï-

16

1.1.3.7. -w r-

16

1.1.4. Absence of udgräha-sandhi

16-19

1.1.4.1. -e ä-

16

1.1.4.2. -ei-

17

1.1.4.3. -e u-

17

1.1.4.4. -e r-

18

1.1.4.5. -e e-

18

1.1.4.6. -e ai-

18

1.1.4.7. -o i-

19

1.1.4.8. -ai a-

19

- Table of contents -

χπ

1 . 1 . 4 . 9 . -ai

i-

19

1 . 1 . 4 . 1 0 . -ai

u-

19

1 . 1 . 4 . 1 1 . -ai

r-

19

1.1.5.

Absence of abhinihita-sandhi

1.1.5.1. - e a 1.1.5.2.

20

-o a-

(