cAra

[Dominique.Thillaud]

At 14:12 +0200 25/08/97, Rolf Heinrich Koch wrote:
>The term cAra is explained by the various scholars as "spy". The Buddhist
>canon has not one example like this. The Jains commentators interpret cAra as
>something like "Astrology" or better, I am not sure, as "making a Horoskop
>(german)". I suppose the explanation "spy" is not right. Why an ancient king
>needs to employ a spy in case his astrologers knew precisely the course of
>the
>enemy? Does anyone knows some more informations? Similar the term praticAra,
>often mentioned together with cAra is not clear to me.
>Thanks.

	Both meanings 'spy' and 'astrology' come naturally from a general
'to observe' and, despite Mayrhofer, cAra is probably linked with the Greek
verb tEreO 'to observe' (root *kvEr-) and not with carati 'to walk' (root
*kvel-).
	About using both spies and astrologers, I suppose a wise king use
all the ways to have knowledge of the ennemy, because even if you trust the
astrology, astrologers are men and can make mistakes.
	Regards,
Dominique

Dominique THILLAUD
Universite' de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, France