Page:A Tibetan-English Dictionary with Sanskrit Synonyms.djvu/41



 Ka the first letter of the Tibetan alphabet, corresponding in sound to the Sanskrit क or the English K. Of this letter we read: ka-ni ṟtsa-wa shes̱-par grags̱ (K. g.  424) "the ka is called the root." As the first letter it has the sense of "the beginning": ka-nas̱ dag-pa pure from the beginning. Again, it can signify "power": s̱ñan ẖtsher-run̂ ma-shu ka-meḏ though unpleasant to hear, I have no power not to say it;  ma g̱nan̂ ka-meḏ powerless not to give;  ma ẖgro ka-meḏ powerless not to go, i.e., cannot avoid going. ka has almost the same sense in ka cis̱ kyan̂ mi-phan ẖchi-wa la (Lo. 35), no resource avails at death. This letter seems to have other metaphorical meanings; thus we read: ka shes-bya-wa ẖdoḏ-pa yin (K. g.  179) "ka, so to be called, is desire."

 I: 1. when used in indicating numbers ka signifies one or first. 2. in modern Tibetan as an affix to many words it denotes: the, all the, the very, s̱kabs̱-ka has the same meaning as  s̱kabs̱-su, on a certain occasion;  de-ka that very;  gñis̱-ka the two. 3. in a large number of words we find occurring as the second syllable. In some of these it has been added apparently as a differentiative particle; and in the colloq. we often find it annexed to the older monosyllabic form without explainable reason.

 II: indeed; surely: s̱lar yan̂ dṟan-du ka son̂ (Pag. 42) later again he indeed recollected (the separation).

 ka for; ka-wa a pillar.

 ka-kha 1. the A-B-C, or alphabet. 2. a feather: bsan̂-s̱kad la ka-kha ni s̱gro-ho (K. g.  216) in the secret language ka-kha signifies a feather.

 ka-kha-pa a beginner of the alphabet; a child.

 ka-tho, also ka-khaẖi tho, an alphabetical register; an index.

 Ka-thog lit. "on the top of "; n. of a celebrated Buddhist monastery in Kham belonging to the Ṟñin̂-ma School, the Head Lama of which is believed always to be an incarnation of his predecessor and holds the title of The hill on