[INDOLOGY] amsala

[dermot at grevatt.force9.co.uk]

Dear Madhav,

Thank you for the Panini reference.

Eggeling must have been influenced by the context. As you suggest, the only way amsala 
could fit the context would be through a shift in meaning in the direction of "strengthening, 
nourishing, plump, juicy..." -- certainly not "tough".

With best wishes,

Dermot

On 25 Jun 2016 at 15:59, Madhav Deshpande wrote:

Hello Dermot and Herman,

At least in Paini's understanding, the words vatsa+la and asa+la are derived respectively 
in the sense of kama "love" and bala "strength," sutra: vatsasabhya kamabale (P. 5.2.98). 
Thus, for Paini, these words mean "loving, affectionate" and "strong," respectively. That 
meaning for asala would not fit the ´Satapatha passage: a´snamy evaham asala 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
    unreliablehere), I believe Sayana's commentary 
    ishelpful 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

-- 
Dermot Killingley
9, Rectory Drive,
Gosforth,
Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 1XT
Phone (0191) 285 8053



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