Page:Vedic Grammar.djvu/49

 I. Phonology. The cerebral

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attainable', dur-nihita- (AV.) 'ill-preserved'; but (because s, r r or s follows) not in -nrmiia- 'manhood', -nistha- 'eminent'; -nissidh- 'gift'; -nirnij- 'adornment'; nor (owing to the intervening gh and m) in dirgkd-nitha-, N., yusmd-mta- 'led by you'. The cerebralization is further absent, without any preventing cause, in aksa-ndh- 'tied to the axle' (beside pari-ndh- 'enclosure'); tri-nakd- 'third heaven'; tri-nabhi- 'three-naved', and vfsa-nabhi- 'great-naved' ; p'mar-nava- 'renewing itself (but AV. pimar-nava-); dur-niydntu- 'hard to restrain'.

2. it is less frequent medially; e. g. purvahnd- forenoon'; aparahnd- (AV.) 'afternoon'; nr-vdhana- 'conveying ratr)!;pra-vdkana-{N'&) 'carr)dng oT ; purTsa- vAhana- (VS.) beside purlsa-vdhana- (TS. K.) 'removing rubbish'; nr-mdnas- 'kind to men', vrsa-manas- 'manly-spirited', but fd-manas- 'of far-seeing mind'; //r«-^/^a«(i- 'wooden club', but vrtra-ghnS, dat., 'Vrtra-slaying'; su-sumnd-^ ^v&nj gracious'; su-pra-pand- 'good drinking place'; nr-pdna- 'giving drink to men'; but pari-pdna- 'drink', pari-pdna- (AV.) 'protection'; pary-uhyamana- (VS.) beside pary-uhyamana-{ Yvak-).

c. Even in a closely connected following word cerebralization may take place after r r s in the preceding one.

1. This is frequently the case with initial n, most usually in nas 'us', rarely in other monosyllables such as mi 'now', nd 'like'^; e. g. sa^d m nah (vm. 73^). Initial n occasionally appears thus in other words also; e. g.

pdri netd. . visai {ix.. 103+) ; srnga-vrso napat {SV., napat, RV.); asthuri nau (VS., no RV. TS.); {gSmad)' u su nasatya (VS.) prd ndmani (TS.); punar nayamasi (AV.); suhdr nah (MS.) = suhard nah; vdr ndma (TS. v. 6. i3).

2. Medial n also occurs thus, most often in the enclitic pronoun ena- 'this'; e. g. indra, enam. It occasionally appears in accented words also after final r: gor ohena (i. i8o5); m'r inasah (AV.); nfbhir yemandh (SV, yemandh, RV.); panibhir viydmanah (TS.)3. A final n is treated as medial and cere- bralized thus in ifn imdn (MS.) and aksdn dva (MS.).

B. In a number of words n has a Prakritic origin.

a. It is due to a preceding r or r which has been replaced hj a i u ■or has disappeared through assimilation. This is indicated to be the case by the appearance beside them of cognate words containing r ox I sounds: I. in Vedic itself: thns am- 'pin of the axle'; /5a«a- 'one-eyed', beside karnd-'' 'crop-eared' (MS.); kdna- (AV.) 'particle' : kald- 'small part'; janjana-bhdvan 'ghttering' ■.jurni- 'glow' {-jan- probably = jrn- from old pres. *j'rnati); punya- 'auspicious' -.pf- 'fill'; phan- 'bound' (= *phrn-, *pharn-) cp. parpharat 'may he scatter'; dhdnika- ' cmw&^ -.dhdraka- (VS.), id.— 2. in alHed languages: gand- 'crowd'; paii- (VS.) 'purchase'; vanij- 'merchant'^; dnu- 'minute'; kiinaru- 'having a withered arm'; pani- 'hand'; sthanu- 'stump' ^.

b. Owing to the predilection for cerebrals in Prakrit, which substituted n for n throughout between vowels, even without the influence of neigh- bouring cerebrals, one or two words with such n seem to have made their way into Vedic: mani- 'pearl' (Lat. monile); amndh (MS.) 'at onct' : amndh (AV.), id. 7.

c. The exact explanation of the 11 in the foUowmg words (some of ■which may be of foreign origin) is uncertain: kdnva-, N.; kalydna- 'fair';

1 See above 47 A (end).

2 Cp. Benfey, Gottinger Abhandlungen

20, 14., , ,

3 agner avena (l. 128^), Pp. agneh avena, is probably yiTong ior agneh jravena. On the other hand, for mdjw rukdna (l 328), Pp. manah ruhanah, the reading should per-

haps be manor uhana. Cp. Lanman, Sanskrit Reader, note on this passage.

4 See Wackernagel i, 172 a (p. 192, mid.).

5 See Fr6hde, BB. 16, 209.

6 Cp. Wackernagel i, 1 72 d, note, 173, note.

7 On a few doubtful instances, op. cit. I, 173, note.