170 



Dr. Mitra — On Ehotibhdva. 



[July, 



for Sanskrit 



Aputra 



>> 



JJ 



Abadha 



») 



)) 



Achetana 



»» 



)J 



Achira 



j> 



5J 



Adara 



j> 



>> 



Akara 



j> 



»> 



Akasa 



»> 



)» 



Bhaga 



»i 



>» 



Dada 



5) 



)) 



Kavi 



5> 



>> 



Kedara 



)> 



J> 



Papaka 



>> 



)> 



S'akuna 



5) 





Udara 

 Uchita 



Aputto not Autto 



Abadho „ Aadho 



Achetano ,, Aetano 



Achiro „ Airo 



Adaro „ Aaro 



Akaro ,, Aaro 



Akaso „ A'aso 



Bhago ,, Bhao 



Dado „ Da 6 



Kavi „ Ka'i 



Kedaro „ Kearo 



Papako „ Paao 



Sakuno „ Saiino 



Udaram „ Uaram 



Uchito „ Uito 



It is obvious hence that the system of eliding simple non-initial con- 

 sonants had not come into operation at the time when the Pali language 

 was current, and with this fact before us, can we with any propriety 

 accept the rule as a guide for the elucidation of Sanskrit philology of 

 a time when Prakrit grammar had not yet been in existence ? It 

 would be, in my opinion, as reasonable to do so, as to cite a rule of 

 modern Italian orthography to account for the spelling of a word in 

 Virgil. In Sanskrit grammar when two Sutras or aphorisms on 

 kindred topics (adhikdra) are interrupted by an extraneous rule, it is 

 usual to defend the break by what is called ' the principle of the frog's 

 jump ' {manduka-pluti-nydyah). In the present instance the little rule 

 of Vararuchi must make a tremendous jump to get over the barrier of 

 the two dialects of Gatha and Pali, and span a period of six centuries 

 or more. 



It should be mentioned here that the Prakrit grammars now extant 

 are not grammars in the same sense in which we accept grammars of 

 the Latin, French, German or English language. They are sequels of 

 Sanskrit grammar, and devoted to the description of the changes which 

 Sanskrit idioms, words, inflections, syllables and letters undergo when 

 converted into Prakrit. The Sanskrit is always taken as the type, and 

 the Prakrit as the issue thereof, and we cannot reverse the order with- 

 out casting overboard all ancient landmarks. 



It might be said that as the system of elision must have come into 

 currency very slowly and gradually it may have commenced from before 

 the time when the Lalita Vistara was composed, and ekotibhdva may 

 be the earliest instance we have of the operation of that tendency of 

 the organs of speech which brought on the change. This would, 



