[INDOLOGY] privative a with finite verb?

[Matthew Kapstein]

Many thanks to all who replied. I am grateful for the grammatical references.
As others may be interested, i include here the link, kindly sent to me by Victor Davella, to an informative discussion about the issue between two of the warhorses of Raj-period Indology:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-royal-asiatic-society/article/abs/negative-a-with-finite-verbs-in-sanskrit/D0CCACADA75B64DAD5603ADDDFE6ADB1

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-royal-asiatic-society/article/abs/negative-a-with-finite-verbs-in-sanskrit/D0CCACADA75B64DAD5603ADDDFE6ADB1Matthew

Matthew T. Kapstein
Professor emeritus
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, Paris

Associate
The University of Chicago Divinity School

Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences

https://ephe.academia.edu/MatthewKapstein

https://vajrabookshop.com/product/the-life-and-work-of-auleshi/

https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501716218/tibetan-manuscripts-and-early-printed-books-volume-i/#bookTabs=1

https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501771255/tibetan-manuscripts-and-early-printed-books-volume-ii/#bookTabs=1

https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/60949

Sent from [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) for iOS.

-------- Original Message --------
On Saturday, 10/11/25 at 11:27 Matthew Kapstein <mattkapstein at proton.me> wrote:

> Dear colleagues,
>
> In the 2500-line Prajñapāramitā i find expressions such as:
>
> nâtra kiMcid vidhyate nâvidhyate, “here nothing is penetrated nor unpenetrated”.
>
> So far as I can determine, in avidhyate the initial a can only be taken as privative.
> Is this uniquely a peculiar Buddhist usage?
>
> thank you for your thoughts,
> Matthew
>
> Matthew T. Kapstein
> Professor emeritus
> Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, Paris
>
> Associate
> The University of Chicago Divinity School
>
> Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
>
> https://ephe.academia.edu/MatthewKapstein
>
> https://vajrabookshop.com/product/the-life-and-work-of-auleshi/
>
> https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501716218/tibetan-manuscripts-and-early-printed-books-volume-i/#bookTabs=1
>
> https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501771255/tibetan-manuscripts-and-early-printed-books-volume-ii/#bookTabs=1
>
> https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/60949
>
> Sent from [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) for iOS.
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