[INDOLOGY] Mudda?

[Martin Gansten]

Many thanks to all who replied on or off the list to my query on 
mudda/muddā. It seems fairly clear that the word as used in an 
astrological context is indeed an Arabic borrowing, although the 
compound mudda- or muddā-daśā looks a bit tautological 
('period-period'). A meaning along the lines of 'modified, adapted' 
would have been more satisfying, as a muddā-daśā is in fact a modified 
sort of daśā; but usage isn't always as logical as one might like...

Martin Gansten
Lund University