La thorie des voix du verbe dans l'cole pinenne (Le 14e hnika) by Rosane Rocher

Review by: B. A. van Nooten

Foundations of Language, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Nov., 1971), pp. 592-601
Published by: Springer
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25000564 .
Accessed: 28/06/2014 11:55
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Springer is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Foundations of Language.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

REVIEWS

Rosane Rocher, La th6oriedes voix du verbedans l'cole pdnineenne (Le 14e

dhnika), Brussels, Presses Universitaires de Bruxelles, 1968.
The tenses, modes, and voices of the Sanskrit verb are of a complexity
comparable to some of the knottiest problems that an adequate linguistic
description can hope to deal with, comparable, perhaps, to the complexity
of the Swahili agreement rules and the use of auxiliaries inModern Indo
Aryan languages.For each of the threepersons (singular,dual, plural) of the
Sanskrit verb, two sets of roughly equivalent expressions exist, theActive
(parasmdipada-)and theMiddle (dtmanepada-).But we observe that in some
instances there is no free variation between the sets, that they vary slightly
or even considerably inmeaning. We also observe that certain verbs lack
one of the sets, eitherActive orMiddle, throughout the complete paradigm,
that other verbs have certain tenses inwhich both sets are used, but other
tenseswhere only one seems to be present.With the number of tense stems
beingmore thanhalf a dozen, and with the added difficulty that the presence
or absence of verbal prefixes or other contextual elements sometimes (but
not invariably)may determinewhether one or the other set should be used,
one may appreciate themagnitude of the task that Panini faced when he
undertook to compose his chapter on the use of voices of the Sanskrit verb.
But his difficulties did not stop here.He had set himself the task of describing
both the cultured language of his time (bh.sd-) and the antiquated dialect(s)
of theVedic scriptures.Moreover, he was committed to a linguistic system
which demanded that the linguistic information be compressed into short,
oracular, but unambiguous statements thatwere logically consistentwith one
another and did not generate the wrong forms. The sophistication of that
system is becoming better appreciated inWestern circles as time goes on.
Panini described this voice system of the verb in the third chapter of his
first of eight books. They add up to 93 ruleswhich can be printed on less
than one page. In theMahdbhdSya of Patanjali forty-two of these have been
discussed

in one way or another

in the dhnika's

("day's work")

13 and 14.

Granted, Panini had at his disposalmore thanjust thebare linguisticmaterial.

A great deal of linguistic analysis had preceded his efforts. For one thing,
he was

familiar with

a Root-list

(Dhdtupdtha-)

to which

he makes

constant

references. It is a carefully and skillfully arranged compendium of some 1900

Foundations of Language 7 (1971) 592-601. All rights reserved.

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

REVIEWS

593

verbalbases, andwithout this list the theoretical exposition would be impos

sible to follow. The Root-list is not merely an inventory of Sanskrit roots,
not a simple listing of all the irreducibleradicalmorphemes in the language,
such as we find, for instance, inWalde-Pokorny. Rather, it is an ordered
arrangementof verbal and nominal bases thathave a function in the grammar.
Grammatical ruleswill apply to certain sections of the Root-list, or to all
and every item characterized by a root-marker. It is, therefore,possible to
find entries repeated in different sections of theRoot-list, if a root is to be
comprisedwithin a sub-list subject to a particular rule of grammar, but ex
empt from another particular rule. Often the grammar does not specify
which one of various alternative roots is affected by any rule but here com
mon sense, or the commentary, usually provides the solution.
Any verbal base in theRoot-list may belong to one of threecategories: (a)
it either takesMiddle endings invariably, or (b) it takesActive endings in
variably, or finally (c) it takes eitherMiddle or Active endings depending on
whether the benefit of the verbal action accrues to the agent, or not. Every
verbal base ismarked for these features, either explicitly, or else by virtue
of its membership in a marked class. Unfortunately, the markers used
(except i) were the tonal accents and these have not been preserved in the
recitation, nor are they, as a rule,written in the texts handed down, so that
we have to rely on the testimony of commentatorswho frequentlywere more
than a thousandyears in time removed fromPanini, and hence not in amuch
better position to judge the tradition thanwe are today.
In her book Mme Rocher has presented a very detailed examination of
the chapter dealingwith Voice. The avowed aim of her book is "... de rendre
accessible aux linguistes ladescription que la grammaire indienne ... a donnee
du syst/me des voix du verbe sanskrit" (p. 9). In this respect it has the same
aim asV.N. Misra's The descriptive techniqueofPdaini, "Thework as it is [is]
an humble attempt to introduce the technique of Pan.ini to the modern
linguist" (p. 7). But the difference between the two books is very distinct,
since Misra especially applies modern terminology to Indian grammar,
whereasMme Rocher follows the trend set by Thieme (1935)with itsdiligent
analysis of Paiini's text and the arguments of its commentators. The book
is by no means easy to read, it has to be studied, and the reader should be
acquainted with the style of argument characteristic of the commentators,
or else the linguistic importanceof many of the discourseswill bypass him.
The latergrammariansare not primarily concernedwith extending the gram
mar to account for new facts, but theirprinciple aim is tomake the grammar
more systematic and logical than they believe it is, and to prevent wrong
forms from being generated.New facts of the language, or facts that Panini
had not accounted for, can be taught in one of twoways: one is to introduce

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

REVIEWS

594
a new sub-rule

(vdrttika-) to be read before or after an original rule; two,

an existing rule in such a way that the new fact of the
by re-interpreting
involves the establish
language can be accounted for. The latter procedure
ment

of often

that every word

an otiose word
commentators

such as the conviction

criteria in a meta-grammar,
if the purpose of
in Paimni's grammar must have a purpose:
is not identifiable then one can assign a purpose to it. The
do not always agree on the proper procedure for amending

artificial

a rule. The earlier ones,

are quite prepared to emend

especially Katyayana,
the text of the Agtddhydyt, but from the Mahdbhdsya
onwards there is a great
concern for regarding the text as sacrosanct and inviolate: amendments
must be arrived at preferably by ingenious operations with meta-rules.
In the present book not only the text of the A.tddhydy!, but also the com
of the Paiinean
school have been consulted. The arguments of
the
the Kdgikd, its commentaries
Katyayana,
Patafijali, Kaiyyata, Nagesa,

mentaries

as well as the Bhddv.rtti,

the Durghalavrtti,
the
Nydsa and Padamanjari,
Siddhdnta-Kdumudt
and its commentaries
have all been used. A great virtue
of the book
from
place

is that it does not merely quote the commentary,

but extracts
it the essential arguments and paraphrases
them at the appropriate
to contrast with the opinions of the other commentators.
In that
a more

for understanding
the Paiiinean
of
I
translation
the Kdsikd.
instance, Ojihara-Renou's
would have liked to see a short table outlining the relative chronology of the
so that the linguist to whom the book is addressed will know
commentaries,
to set by the expositions
what degree of confidence
of the various authors.

respect,
method

it presents
than, for

accessible

way

especially is a commentary of very little linguistic interest.

with aberrant grammatical
forms used in Classical
litera
pedantic than scholarly. The author learned his Sanskrit by the

The Durghatavrtti
Its preoccupation
ture ismore
same method

as the literary authors he criticizes, namely from a grammar

and not from a native speaker. Hence
to try to justify literary Sanskrit in
terms of Paninean grammar is equivalent to trying to justify St Augustine's
Latin by reference to Propertius.
be singled out as a commentary
not absolute. Mrs Rocher has

should
By the same token, the Mahdbhdsya
with a great degree of reliability, although
listed all the argumentations
pro and con

regardless of the source.

Mrs Rocher's
book is very good. It is well-written,
well organized, and
it spares the reader no detail. It does not shy away from discussing matters
of marginal
linguistic interest, but presents them side by side with the more
essential and profound problems of the relationship of language to semantics,
and the systematization
of syntactical characteristics of Sanskrit, and especial
ly the problem of trying to uphold and defend a system of linguistic descrip
tion

in the face of

shortcomings

that are inherent

in any such a system.

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

REVIEWS

595

The material is presented in three parts. Part I, called "Le 14eAhnika",

deals with some general considerations of the rules, and their organization
in the grammar. Part II, "Les rbglesg6nerales", examines rules 1.3.12-16,
72 and 77 in detail. The thirdpart, "Les rbglesparticuliires", comprises the
bulk of the book

and, as the name

indicates,

deals with

those rules that treat

of special verbs and their voice. There is a short index of the principle roots
discussed. Preceding.the discussion is a short chapter, "Preliminaires", that
summarizes the definitions of Middle, Active, Agent, Goal, and State. The
book is uniformly of high quality and a reviewer can do littlemore than to
a number

emphasize

of features

that have come

to light in the book

and that

are of interest to a linguist.

The author in earlier papers has discussed the Indian views on the rela
tionship of the items in a sentence one to another. Central to the Paxinean
grammar

is the notion

that a sentence

is an expression

of a verbal

action

which ismodified by kdraka'swhich the author, as in previous publications,

continues to translate as "factor". Some of Patanjali's most important
thoughts on thismatter are expressed in his comments on 1.3.1, and the
author briefly touches upon them. Conjugational suffixes can represent
agency, object, and state, but in so far as Voice is concerned, the agency as
pect is themost important one. All conjugational suffixes are taught in this
chapter as representationsof the notion "agent". This notion is stated at the
beginning of the Ahnika and is dittoed throughout the remainder of the
chapter. It should be remembered throughout the book that the terms
dtmanepada-,parasmdipada-are nothing more than arbitrarynames for two
sublists of the list "Declensional Suffix" (tii). The term atmanepada- is
defined as taf (1.4.100) and it isnever treatedas anything else. In the chapter
dealing with Voice, these suffixes are investedwith a meaning, they are the
representations of the notion kartr- 'agent'. The author makes this clear
in par. 4 ff., but not

too clear

in the second paragraph

of the book:

"La

grammaire indienne ne connait pas le concept de <voix du verbe>. Elle ne

prend non plus en consideration rienqui soit analogue a <voix active>>,<<voix
passive>>,<voixmoyenne>. Elle ne distingue que deux concepts, repr6sentes
par les termesdtmanepadaetparasmdipada..." One may object to calling the
terms "concepts", a term that can easily be interpretedas referring to items
with ameaning of their own. Their meaning is strictly contextual.
The book

contains

a number

of useful

diagrams

and

tables. On p. 29,

for instance,we find a table outlining the dittoprocedure (anuvrtti-)used by

Panini in this chapter. Every rule is presented with an arrow indicating the
vertical distance down towhich one of itswords isdittoed. The dittoing starts
with theword dtmanepadamin 1.3.12which continues throughout the chap
ter. But is thisword indeed the beginning? Should we not ditto from 1.3.1

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

REVIEWS

596

with vibhaktiparindma-'changeof case', such

the term dhdtavab as dhdto6h
as is permissible inmany other contexts? The problem is not discussed by
the author, but in paragraphs 19-21 she presents a much needed discussion
of the principles underwhich we may establish dittoes. There are few explicit
criteria, aside from the one based on Paribhdad 60, "An exception pertains
to an immediatelypreceding rule", viz. that into a rule of exception onemay
ditto items from the preceding rule(s).Moreover, where roots are quoted in
sections treating of rules pertaining to that root, the lattermust of course
be dittoed. Sometimes ca indicates an anuvrtti,but usually, if no overt indi
cations of the ditto process exist, simple reasoning will lead to conclusive
results (par. 30): sometimes any other possibility is irrational, at other times
the rulewould be otiose. Using these vague criteria, one has to conclude that
thewhole chapter is concernedwith the process of adding the dtmanepada
12 dtmanepadam(1.3.12)
suffixesafter roots. A phrase like bhdvakarmano^h,
would not make much sense should it simply state that themiddle endings
represent bhdva- and karman-. In what context? The answer is, of course,
dhdtoh

'after a root'.

It must

be noted

that most

roots are quoted with

the

ablative suffix and can be interpreted as specifying the word dhdtoh, e.g.
jeh 'afterji-', kri.da 'afterkrid-'.Otherwise (if Imay indulge in the type of
reasoning displayed by theKdsikd) one may erroneously conclude that the
rule is valid every time ji- appears in the language, so also in dji- 'race'.
Hence we need the specificationjeh, 1 dhdtoh 'after root ji-'.Moreover, the
Kdsikd

in its vrtti always

supplies

the word

dhdtob, and so it is clear that the

word must be supplied to every subsequent rule as an additional anuvrtti.

In the samediagram, an arrow should also be suppliedafter kartrabhiprdye
(1.3.72) and it should extend down through 76. It is clear from the text (p.30)
that the author

this anuvrtti,

intended

but it did not get into the diagram.

Nor is theword neh dittoed into rule 89. The Kdsika supplies it, and in fact
the author argues later (par. 33) that the anuvrtti should continue. One
wonders why it did get left out.
From the point of view of grammatical strategy, the diagram on page 38
is interesting. The author there presents a table showing the plan of the
chapter on Voice. We see that there are threegeneral conditions underwhich
a rootmay getMiddle endings, namely if it belongs to the columns anuddtta
nit, svaritanit, and a class of miscellaneous conditions (column 3). From
Liebich's investigations (Einf. III 1920) and my own counts, we learn that
the first column of Mme Rocher's diagram comprises a total of 477 roots,
49 of which

are marked

the second column,

with in and the remainder with

about

300 roots have

the circumflex

the grave accent. In

accent as a marker

and 43 the symbol fn. It is obvious, therefore, that themajority, well over
1000 roots, would fall in the third,miscellaneous column, and themajority

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

REVIEWS

597

of them in the lower right hand cell of the diagram; these are the roots that
by default take active endings. It is clear that Panini's methodology of
description in principle resembles that of any modern, logical system of
description: he startswith the smaller units and finally comes to a point
where he can state explicitly, "in the remaining roots the active endings are
used" (78).But the superficialresemblance stops here, for the actual arrange
ment and ordering of the rules in the treatise is peculiar. They fall into the
following groups: 12, 15-29, 30-37, 38-55, 56, 57-61, 64, 65-67, 68-71, 72,
74-77, 78, 79-82, 83-85, 86-87, 91-93. We note that one of the general
statements (12) is not followed immediatelyby its exceptions, but that the
exceptions are given after all the remaining theory has been taught, rules
83-85, 91-93.We also note that the next general rule (72) is not surrounded
by its exceptions, but that they occur in 30-37, 56, and 64, and afterwards in
79-82. Similarly, rule 74 (in turn an exception to 78) is excepted by 68-71
and by 86-87; finally the third general rule (78) has numerous exceptions in
15-29, 38-55, 57-61, and 65-67. The ordering of the rules seems to fall into
a vaguely discernible pattern of concentric shells. In the outer shell is rule
12 followed by its exceptions (83-85, 91-93). In the next shell is 78 preceded
by its exceptions including 74, which in turn is preceded and followed by its
exceptions and by other exceptions in the outer shell. In the innermost shell
is 72 preceded by its exceptions and followed by a set of exceptions in the
second shell. In diagrammatical form we would get the following scheme
where + means the statement of the rule, - means its exception:
+12 [-78 {-74

(-72

+72) +74} +78 -72]

-84

-12.

If we can draw any conclusion from this arrangement,we could decide

that a rulemay be exceptedby a preceding statementwithin the samebracket,
and/or by a following statement in a higher bracket. I should add that this
information is not immediately available fromMme Rocher's diagram, but
is a line of thought that follows from it, and deserves to be pursuedmore
deeply. For itwould seem that this kind of ordering ismore often resorted
to in the grammar than the more fortuitous exploitation of anuvrttis: in
this chapter root dd- is quoted twice (20, 55), yam- three times (28,56,75).
Turning to another problem, we find in pars. 344-374 a discussion cen
tering around the augment. The verbal augment used with historical tenses
is just one of themany elements that are classed as augments in the grammar.
They are elements without a meaning of their own and are provided with
specialmarkers that determine whether they are prefixed or suffixed to an
accompanying element. Commonly, they present difficulties, and the
Mahdbhyaya sets out to resolve them.One of the difficulties is constituted by
thequestion of the contextualCause: if a rule isprompted by a Cause A- B,

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

598

REVIEWS

is it still applicable if this context ismodified by an augment?An augment

rulemay, for instance, change it toA-aB. Is the contextA-aB equivalent
toA- B? For instance, if it is taught that themiddle endings are valid after
root vis- preceded by the verbal prefix ni, the context nivis- (1.3.17) acts as
the Cause for rule 1.3.17, or 0 -+Middle nivis-. But if vis- is to be followed
by a historical tense, then an augment at appears before the root which
changes the context to ni-a-vis-, or nyavis-,where vis- does not immediately
follow ni-. Hence there is no context nivis- and no Cause for the application
of 1.3.17. There are variousways out of this dilemma and the author outlines
them on pp. 135-142 of her book. The simplest solution would be to regard
this augment as being merged or absorbed into the root. Then avis- is equi
valent to vis- and theMiddle endings can appear. But this solution is inade
quate, because theCause for the augment itself (6.4.71) is the base (aiga-),
here the verbal base of root + verbal suffix.Obviously, the context ni-vis
verbal suffix- is not equivalent to the context ni-vis-, henceMiddle endings
could not appear.
The Mbhs thereupon examines themeta-rules thatmight be applicable in
this context. The weakest of the criteria is that of later as opposed to earlier
position of the rule in the grammar.A later rule supersedes an earlier one
(MR 38), and so the augmentation rule (6.4.71) could take place before the
verbal suffix rule (3.1.68).But by another, stronger,criterion of rule strength,
viz. the nitya- 'constant' versus anitya- 'non-constant'opposition, this solu
tion is unacceptable, for the augment is not necessarily dependent on the
verbal suffix. We

have forms with an augment

and a verbal

suffix (avisa-) and

forms with an augment but without a verbal suffix (avid-).The same rule
brings about both augments and so the rule is by the standardsof the theory
of meta-rules not constant. Hence the problem is not solved yet. The form
ni-a-vis- still does not present theCause necessary to restrict the endings to
theMiddle.
The author then continues to show how theMbhMapplies the same criteria
to another context, ni-vi&-L-suffixas opposed to ni-vis-sap-L-suffix. To
generate the augment, the L-suffix must be replaced by an historical tense
(lai, lun, of Irn).But to apply the restriction to theMiddle endings, all that
is necessary is to replaceL by these endings.Kaiyyata finds this a sufficient
reason to declare the ruleofMiddle ending restriction"nuclear" (antarafga-)
in respect to the augment rule, but nuclear only because it required fewer
causes. This criterion of nuclearity is not the normal one, andNdgesa indeed
The discussion then takes another turn
rejects it in his Paribhdaendusekhara.
and becomes concerned with the establishment of the correct generative
cycle fromRoot - La-suffix to Root - Verbal Suffix - Conjugational Suffix,
amatter which the author describeswith her usual thoroughness.The inter

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

REVIEWS

599

esting point that emerges from these discussions is that themeta-rules are
quoted by Patafijali beginningwith theweakest: firstparatva- 'posteriority',
then nityatva- 'constancy',next antarafigatva- 'nuclearity',and presumably,
if therewere scope for it, he would have used the Exception criterion.This
order of application seems to imply a principle of economy whereby one
should not use a meta-rule stronger than necessary to argue a point, or else
he would have startedwith the strongest criterion first.
The solution to the present problem is indeed ingenious as the author
remarks, and is the one presented by thePradipa (p. 142, par. 374). Itmakes
an appeal toMR 41, a meta-rule with an adhoc character, that states that a
particular form, the context Root-La, is first affected by theMiddle restric
tion rule (1.3.12) and only afterwards by the rule of verbal suffixes sap, etc.
Ndgesa has two other examples of its applicability, but yet it has an unsatis
factory quality of artificiality about it. The development of ni- visL-suffix
would

then be to ni - vis- Ldde v

i-

lamidde

ni

- vi a lami

iddle

...>
*nyavisat.

Another matter of interest from the point of view of grammatical analysis

is the notion of upapada-. Its literalmeaning is "under-word" translated as
"auxiliaryword" (Faddegon 1935), "mot subsidiaire" (Rocher p. 93), and
"mot complementaire" (p. 326).As Faddegon has pointed out, theword has
twomeanings in Panini's grammar (p. 44). Its "logical"meaning is the one
found in the firstbook (1.3.16, 71, 77) where itsmeaning is non-technical: it
is an item in the sentence that is syntacticallyand/or semanticallysubordinate
to another item in the sentence. It serveshere to furnish a condition under
which Middle endings are not used (1.3.16), or are used (71), or are optional
(77). In this usage the term is not materially different from such expressions
as ?yukta- 'joined, in constituencywith' (2.3.4, 29, etc.), a term that seems
to be reserved to describe the relationship between a verb and a nominal.
This lattersituation also exists in thechapterwhere the second, "grammatical"
(Faddegon), meaning of upapada is found, viz. 3.2.1-191. Here the term
simply describes an item listed in that section. In that sense it has only a
technical, "grammatical"meaning, but incidentally these listed itemsare all
found as objects in constructionwith transitive, finite verbswith which they
can be compounded.We shall translate the term as "item-in-construction".
The Paninean descriptive technique often employs this opposition between
"principle" and "subordinate" items in a phrase or in a word as ameans of
phrasing rules.We find in the theory of composition the contrast between
pradhdna 'principlemember' and upasarjana 'subordinatemember', in the
theory of base formation the opposition between the base and the elements
following it; in the theory of meta-rules the opposition of a stronger against
a weaker

rule.

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

REVIEWS

600

Another interestingpoint is the one raised about the notion of transitivity.

In paragraphs 410-423 the book presents a few of the thoughts of the Indian
commentators on this notion. The roots are not marked for transitivity in
the Root-list, but there are statements in the grammar that refer to the
applicability of a rule after a transitive (once 1.3.53) or intransitive (akar
maka-) root. The word akarmaka-means 'not capable of being constructed
with an object or goal (karman-)',ameaning which agrees superficiallywith
theWestern notion of intransitivity. In Latin, however, themajority of the
verbs are either transitive or intransitive,whereas in Sanskrit, as inEnglish,
transitivity is not predictable from the form of the root.Many roots can be
constructedwith an object in one meaning and not in another.Many roots
are in their simple form intransitive, but become transitivewhen a verbal
prefix accompanies them.The author describes theproblem that the commen
tators experiencewhen interpretingtheword akarmaka-. Is theword karman
here 'goal', the correlative of the concept "thatwhich is desired, etc.", or is
it to be interpreted as an item in the sentence, the object, a syntactic unit?
Here the problem is that the root is the phonological representativeof the
meaning category "verbal action". In the scheme of thePaninean grammar,
the semantics are defined first, the syntactic representationsnext, and finally
their phonological equivalents. Once we are using a root in the sentence, it
is difficult to return to the semantic stage to inquirewhether the root is
transitive or not. One commentary, theKdsikd, seems to offer the simplest
solution. It suggests that transitivity ismerely something inherentlyexpressed
by the basic notion "verbal action" of the verbal root, so that once we know
the verbal meaning, we can deduce from itwhether the root is transitiveor
not; that would not require a return to an earlier stage in the cycle. The
question of the exact significanceof the term "meaning of a root" is touched
upon in par. 395ff.The Nydsa wonders whether a root has an inherent range
of meanings, or whether themeanings are only imposed upon the verb by
its context,

viz. other elements

in the sentence. The matter

comes up on the

occasion of 1.3.36where sevenmeanings of root ni- 'lead' are distinguished.

Both opinions are declared to be valid.
To conclude, I shall just make a number of disconnected remarks.The
author proposes an emendation to the Root-list (par. 320) which seems to
be entirely justified: forDhdtupdtha IV. 51 tapa, readpata. The reference to
the Nighantu (p. 127, down 16) should read 2.21, and this attestation of
patyate is certainly strong evidence that the traditionalRoot-list is corrupt
here. In par. 443 she discusses the strangemeaning of apaskr- taught in a
Vdrttika to 1.3.21, 'to scrape the ground for joy, livelihood, or making a
lying place'.With the basic meaning of kr- being 'topraise', it requires some
ingenuity to bridge the semantic chasm to arrive at 'scraping the ground'.

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

REVIEWS

601

Her solution is as simple as it is appealing: we have to do with an onomato

poetic word that exists side by sidewith the other root. The form apaskira
should be entered as such in the dictionary.A similar onomatopoetic origin
underlies the verb samrkr4- 'to squeak (like a cart)', not from root krit- 'play'
(par. 438). For the verb saljnid- theKdsikd claims transitivity if it is used
with Middle endings, but that seems to be a claim based on its own authority.
It could not have consulted the literaturewhere sarljnjd-is found intransitive
with Middle endings (e.g. prthivyd samjdniava"be in agreementwith the
earth", ?Br 3.6.4.14). The locative of object (not taught by Panini) is found
in the AitBr 4.25.9, with sam ...jdndte.The meaning "wistful regret", for
which active examples are given, is not found at all.
There are very fewmisprints in the book and the author should be con
gratulatedwith this fine contribution to Paiinean scholarship.An index of
ruleswould have been helpful.
University of California, Berkeley

B. A. VANNOOTEN

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ojihara, Y. and Renou, L.: 1960, La KdSikdvrtti, Publications de l'Ecole Franmaise d'
Extreme-Orient, vol. 18, Paris.
Thieme, Paul: 1935, Panini and the Veda, Allahabad.

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.50 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:55:43 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions