[INDOLOGY] privative a with finite verb?

[victor davella]

Dear Malhar,

Bhaṭṭoji brings it close to 2.2.6 = SK 756, but it is still ad 6.3.73 = SK
758. It of course makes sense to mention the vārttika in connection with
2.2.6 and could have been added in copying the KV, perhaps under the
influence of the Kaumudī grammars (I don't see it in the Rūpāvatāra). Since
Jinendrabuddhi and Haradatta both discuss the vārttika ad 6.3.73, that's
its original location in KV. Vasu's translation, which I think should be
another possible source as it was out in full by the early 1890s, in fact
mentions the vārttika twice, once ad 2.2.6 and once ad 6.3.73.

https://sanskritdictionary.com/panini/?iencoding=iast&q=2.2.6&action=Search

https://sanskritdictionary.com/panini/?iencoding=iast&q=6.3.73&action=Search

All the Best,
Victor


On Sun, Oct 12, 2025 at 8:19 AM Malhar Kulkarni via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

> Dear Professor Kapstein,
>
> I thank you very much for sharing this interesting discussion from the
> archives of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1906, to all. I also
> thank Victor Davella for sharing it to you.
>
> As I see with the limited access, this discussion involves the discussion
> on a vārttika on Aṣṭādhyāyī (A) 2.2.6. There is no clue about the source
> text, both the scholars are referring to. One source could be the text of
> the Kāśikāvṛtti (KV). The printed text of the KV that they could have
> access to, could be, perhaps, the 1876 edition. This edition has this
> vārttika on A 2.2.6, indeed!
>
> It is noteworthy however, that the Hyderabad edition of the KV does not
> have this vārttika in the main body of the text of the KV on A 2.2.6. Also
> the edition of the KV on A 2.2.6 published by me on the basis of 70
> manuscripts does not have this vārttika in the main body of the text of the
> KV on A 2.2.6.
>
> Interestingly, the manuscript which is amongst those which added this
> vārttika in the main body of the text of the KV on A 2.2.6, seems to be one
> of the sources of the 1876 edition.
>
> with regards,
>
> On Sat, Oct 11, 2025 at 6:18 PM Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
>> 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/D0CCACADA75B64DAD5603ADDDFE6ADB1>
>> 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.
>>
>>
>> -------- 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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>>
>
>
> --
> Malhar Kulkarni,
> Department of Humanities and Social Sciences,
> IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai-400076
> malhar at hss.iitb.ac.in
>
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