Sanskrit words ending in cerebral N

[Madhav Deshpande]

In our known vocabulary of Sanskrit, there are no words which end in
cerebral N.  However, in the formulation of the sandhi rules as given in
Panini (8.3.32) and the Pratisakhyas (e.g. Zaunakiiya-Caturaadhyaayika
3.2.2), such a case is always included. The commentators are generally
hardpressed to find examples, and the example cited by the commentaries is
something like sugaN+iti > sugaNNiti.  While the word sugaN "a good
counter" derived from the root gaN is not found in literature to the best
of my knowledge, the fact that such a case is included almost unanimously
by the grammarians is of some significance.  I have always wondered if
there were colloquial Sanskrit usages that have not come down to us.
                                        Madhav Deshpande
On Sun, 19 Sep 1999, Harry Spier wrote:

> Dear list members,
>
> (Harvard-Kyoto convention used in the following)
>
> Whitney in his Grammar (section 143. first paragraph) says "the [palatal] N
> is allowed [as a permitted final] but is quite rare;"
>
> MacDonell in both his Sanskrit Grammar for Students and his Vedic Grammar
> for Students (section 27. both books) says that palatal N does not occur as
> a permitted final.
>
>
> Do any of the list members know if there are actually any Sanskrit words
> ending in palatal N in pausa and if so what they are?  And if so why
> MacDonell who published after Whitney would explicitly exclude them?
>
> As an aside Prof. Deshpande in saMskRtasubodhinI page 109 in describing
> external sandhi gives a rule for final N ("Final G, N, and n are doubled
> after  a short vowel, and before any vowel.")
>
> Yours,
>
> Harry
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>