Page:Vedic Grammar.djvu/85

 II. EUPHONIC COMBINATION. COMPOUNDS. fluctuation when dus- 'ill' assumes the later Sandhi form of dur-, as dur- ṇắman- ‘having a bad name', dur-hanu- 'having ugly jaws', but dur-niyántu- ‘hard to restrain'; also in vārdhrā-ṇasá- (TS.) 'rhinoceros' and vārdhrī-nasá- (VS.) 'having streaks on the nose'; śri-maṇas- (TS.) and śrí-manas- (VS.) 'well-disposed'. But noften remains in this type of compound: initially in krpá-nila- whose home is splendour', candrá-nirnij- 'having a brilliant garment', varşá- nirnij- 'clothed with rain', tveșá-nrmna- ‘of brilliant power', dirghá-nitha-, N. of a man, púnar-nava- 'again renewed', babhrú-nikaśa- (VS.) 'looking brownish', vŕşa-nābhi- 'having a mighty nave'; medially in ŕşi-manas-² 'inspired', indragni 'Indra and Agni', kṣatra-váni- (AV.) 'addicted to military rule', 'bráhma-vani- (VS.) 'well disposed to the priesthood', cátur-anīka- 'four-faced', try-anīká- 'three- faced', jyótir-anīka-3 'having a shining face', citrá-bhānu- 'having bright lustre', dhruvá-yoni- (VS.) 'having a fixed abode', pra-mánas- (AV.) 'careful', hári- manyu-sāyaka-4 (RV. x) ‘stimulating the mettle of the bays'. f. The final vowel of the first member is often lengthened. This frequently occurs before v-; e. g. anná-vrdh- 'prospering by food', prati-vartá- (AV.) 'returning into itself', prā-výs-5 'rainy season'. It is often due to the rhythmical tendency (which also prevails in the sentence) to lengthen a vowel before a single consonant between two short syllables; e. g. ahi-súva-, N. of a demon (from ahi-), urū-ṇasá- 'broad-nosed', rta-șáh- (VS.) ‘maintaining the sacred law', pavī-nasá- (AV.) ‘'having a nose like a spearhead', naghā-rișá-° (AV.) N. of a planť, rathā-sáh- ‘able to draw the car'. Lengthening of a vowel between other than two short syllables is less common, being probably due to imitation of compounds in which the long vowel is produced by the normal rhythm; e. g. dhanvā-sáh- ‘skilled in archery' and vibhva-sáh-‘overcoming the rich' like rathā-sáh-; sahásrã-magha- 'having a thousand gifts' like šatá- magha- 'having a hundred gifts'. The interchange of short and long is entirely regulated by the rhythmic principle in sană- ‘of old' and almost entirely in tuvi- 'much'; e. g. sana-jur- 'long since aged' and sána-śruta- 'famous of old', tuvi-maghá- 'very rich' and tuvi-bādhá- killing many'. The final vowel of prepositions is particularly often lengthened in the later Samhitas without reference to rhythm, especially before nouns ending in -a with long radical vowel, e. g. nī-vid- (AV.) ‘liturgical invitation', abhi-moda-múd- (AV.) 'excessively joyfuľ, nī-nāhá- (AV.) 'girth', pratī-bodhá- (AV.) ‘vigilance', vī-barhá- (AV.) 'scattering'. Sometimes the final vowel is left unlengthened between two short syllables; e. g. rayi-páti- 'lord of wealth', ghrta-duh-as (voc. pl.) 'yielding ghee ¹8. g. On the other hand, final a and ī of the first member are often shortened before a group of consonants or a long syllable; e. g. amīva- cắtana- (AV.) ‘driving away disease' and amīva-hán- 'destroying disease' (ámīvā-); úrna-mradas- 'soft as wool' (árna-) and *ūrṇa-vabhi- 'spinning wool', 'spider', in the patronymic aurnavabhá-; kaksya-prá- 'filling out the girth' (kaksyà-); nāká 'third heaven', tri-nábhi- 'having three naves'. I The AV. here always has the cerebral, as dur-nihita- ‘badly kept'. 2 But ny-mánas- 'friendly to men' and výsa-maṇas- "manly-spirited'. 3 But purv-anīka- 'having many faces'. 4 But výşa-many- (RV. 1) 'vigorous- minded'. 5 Cp. WACKERNAGEL I, 42. 6 Beside nagha-mará- (AV.) N. of a plant. 75 7 Cp. also prā-sáh- and pra-sắh- 'victorious'. The long vowel in the former is probably historic, IE. pro. 8 The vowel is originally long, in așță- 'eight', probably also in accha- 'to' and visva all', and may be differently ex- plained in ấ-deva- 'hostile to the gods', á-rupita- (IV. 57) meaning, and a-sat-; see WACKERNAGEL 2¹, p. 131, note. T