Sanskrit arthavant-

[Patrick Olivelle]

Leon:

Artha, of course, is a common word in the legal texts for a lawsuit. 
I cannot remember coming across arthavat, but the related term arthin 
is very common for a litigant.

Patrick Olivelle


>Dear List members,
>
>Would anyone know if Skt. arthavant- ever occurs in a legal context to mean
>'plaintiff' or 'defendant' or 'litigant' (lit. 'one characterised by the
>artha- or lawsuit)?
>I ask because in Avestan we find arethauuant- and arethamant- (both hapax
>legomena) used in such a context, though with somewhat unclear meanings. I
>was hoping a Sanskrit parallel might help to shed some light on these forms.
>With thanks,
>Leon Goldman (PhD candidate, SOAS).