sAri, the Indian dress

[N. Ganesan]

sArI derives from zATI/ZATikA. Panini: zATI-paTTika, zATI-paTIra,
zAtI-pracchada; Katyayana: zATaka; Patanjali: zATakaM;
Dhammapatha: ajina-sATI (v.394); Pali: sATa, sATikA, sATiya;
Jain: sADa, sADiA; Prakrit: sADi, Marathi: chATI, ....
The variations, z/s/ch and T/D suggest this word is a borrowal.

In Tamil, 1)kATikam = sAri 2) kATakam = sAri
(p. 425, N, KathiraiverpiLLai's Tamil-Tamil dictionary,
6th reprint, Delhi:AES, 1990).

Online Tamil Lexicon(OTL) entry:
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kaTTu-tal

OTL kaTTu-tal 01 1. to tie, bind, fasten, shackle; 2. to build,
construct, fix, erect; 3. to establish, as a theory; 4. to hug,
embrace; 5. to support, sustain; 6. to tie on, adorn with; 7. to wear,
to be  dressed in; to put on, as clothes; 8. to remit, pay up; 9. to
acquire; 10. to fabricate, contrive, invent; 11. to harden, condense,
consolidate; 12. to store, gather together; 13. to bind by spells,
magic; 14. to suborn; 15. to compose, as verse; 16. to marry; 17. to
win, checkmate, overcome; 18. to fill, as a tank with water; 19. to
shut up, close up; 20. to export; 1. to harden, consolidate, form, as
concretions; to  congeal, coagulate; 2. to be congested, as the throat
in acute pharyngitis; 3. to swell, as a boil, a tumour or an
imposthume; 4. to be a bad omen, to portend misfortune; 5. to
overspread, as clouds; 6. to be  worth while, just paying; 7. to
compare with, to be equal
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> From the verb "kaTTu", kATikam (=sari), kaTikai and kaTakam are
formed. The OTL gives kaTikai = 1) curtain 2) necklace
3) bracelet 4) epaulete (an ancient ornament for man's shoulders).

For ancient usage on kaTikai, let us look into classical tamil texts:
a) pavaLak kaTikaiyiTai muttam kANtoRum (pati.)
b) kAn2ap paTamum, kAz Un2Ru kaTikaiyum (cil.)
c) pavaLak kaTikaiyil tavaLa vAL nakaiyum (maNi.)
d) kAlam kAmpu vayiram kaTikaiyan2 pon2kazal (tEv.)
e) valampuri vaLaiyoTu kaTikai nUl yAttu (neTunal.)
f) nIla maNi kaTikai vallikai yAttu (cIv.)
g) toTai amai pIli polinta kaTikai
   maTai amai tiN curai mATa kAz vEloTu (aka.)
h) tan2i maNi iraTTum tAL uTai kaTikai
   nuzai nuti neTu vEl kuRumpaTai mazavat (aka.)

> From kuTTu (to strike) > kUTam (hammer).
On kuTTu > kUTam (hammer) and kuTTamukha, there is a lengthy paper
in L. Sternbach volume analyzing as dravidian.
Similarly, kaTTu (to wear, to tie) > kATikam (sAri).

Now, kAz/kAzam/kAzakam=cloth. Like 1) paTu (to sleep) > paTTi and
paLLi (=cattle shed, resting place) and 2) nADi and nAzi/nALi
(=reed, vein,  volume measure), kATakam and kAzakam alternate in
T and z(_l). From Classical Tamil,
"pularAk kAzakam pulara uTIi"(tirumuru. 184); here, kAzakam = sAri
"vin2aimAN kAzakam vIGkak kaTTi"(kali. 7); here, kAzakam = a hand
glove and this "kAzakam" is similar in meaning as for "kaTikai"
attested in CT.

zATI/sADaka have close relationship to tamil
kATikam(sAri)/kATakam(sAri)/kAzakam(cloth)/kAzakam(glove)/
kaTikai(cloth/bracelet/necklace)/kaTakam(armlet). The root verb
is kaTTu (to wear, to tie, etc.,)

Regards,
N. Ganesan



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