Sandhi-conventions for critical editions

[g.v.simson at easteur-orient.uio.no]

Birgit Kellner wrote:
>I would like to have as many opinions as possible on Sandhi-conventions in
>critical editions of Sanskrit texts, especially on what to do with nasals
etc.

I have the same kind of problems with my critical edition of the
Praatimokshasuutra where my policy is to follow the style of the
manuscripts (from Central Asia) as closely as possible. But since the
scribes are not consistent in their use of sandhi, I think it is best to
standardize the orthography and to follow Panini's rules as far as sandhi
is concerned. This makes it also easier for the user of your edition. You
may describe the actual practice of the scribes in your introduction or you
can give the writings of the manuscripts in the critical apparatus. See
e.g. Franz Bernhard's edition of the Udaanavarga, Vol.I, Goettingen 1965,
where the orthographical variants are kept apart from the others (and more
important ones) as a category of its own. But this procedure takes a lot of
space, of course.

Professor Georg von Simson
University of Oslo
Department of East European and Oriental Studies
Box 1030, Blindern
0315 Oslo, Norway