[INDOLOGY] amsala

[Madhav Deshpande]

Hello Dermot and Herman,

At least in Pāṇini's understanding, the words vatsa+la and aṃsa+la are
derived respectively in the sense of kāma "love" and bala "strength,"
sūtra: vatsāṃsābhyāṃ kāmabale (P. 5.2.98).  Thus, for Pāṇini, these words
mean "loving, affectionate" and "strong," respectively.  That meaning for
aṃsala would not fit the Śatapatha passage: aśnāmy evāham aṃsalaṃ ced
bhavati, suggesting that the word had some other meaning making the meat
more edible/desirable, and hence "tender" is a likely contextual meaning.
May be "plump, juicy".

Madhav Deshpande

On Sat, Jun 25, 2016 at 3:43 PM, Herman Tull <hermantull at gmail.com> wrote:

> ​
> Dermot,
>
> I worked on this 30 years ago,​ and I remember asking the exact same
> question. If memory serves correctly (and it may be
> ​unreliable
>  here), I believe Sayana's commentary
> ​is
>  helpful here
> ​ in getting to Eggeling's definition​
> .
> ​
> (I'm away from my library right now, and I cannot check
> ​.​
> )​
>
> ​Herman
>
> Herman Tull
> Princeton, NJ
> On Jun 25, 2016 11:19 AM, <dermot at grevatt.force9.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Can someone help with a bit of brAhmaNa interpretation?
>>
>> Monier-Williams and Mayrhofer both say aMsala means "strong", connecting
>> it with aMsa
>> "shoulder". Mayrhofer adds that it's used mainly with reference to cattle
>> and meat.
>>
>> In xatapatha brAhmaNa 3.1.2.21 Eggeling translates it "tender".
>>
>> The context is a prohibition on eating beef -- apparently not for
>> everyone at all times, but for
>> someone undertaking dIkSA. After an arthavAda justifying the prohibition,
>> YAjnavalkya is
>> quoted as saying "axnAmy evAham aMsalaM ced bhavati."
>>
>> Eggeling: "I, for one, eat it, provided that it is tender."
>>
>> Is there any evidence for a meaning "tender", or is Eggeling taking a
>> liberty to give
>> YAjnavalkya a good punch line?
>>
>> I realise that ancient Indian diet can be a sensitive issue, but the
>> question here seems to be
>> about YAjnavalkya's culinary preference.
>>
>> I'd be grateful for any clarification.
>>
>> Dermot
>>
>> --
>> Dermot Killingley
>> 9, Rectory Drive,
>> Gosforth,
>> Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 1XT
>> Phone (0191) 285 8053
>>
>>
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-- 
Madhav M. Deshpande
Professor of Sanskrit and Linguistics
Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
202 South Thayer Street, Suite 6111
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1608, USA


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