[INDOLOGY] unusual numeral?

[Madhav Deshpande]

Attestation or not, the word caṣaka is grammatically derived by adding the
affix -ka to the base caṣa-. We have many other formations like this where
the base by itself is not found in common use. For example, mūṣaka is
common, but mūṣa by itself is not common.

Madhav M. Deshpande
Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies
Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India

[Residence: Campbell, California, USA]


On Wed, Sep 30, 2026 at 4:56 AM Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

> Dear friends,
>
> With thanks to those who corresponded with me about my puzzle, I have
> found an alternative solution, though one that involves another, perhaps
> lesser puzzle.
>
> The syllable preceding ṣāstriṃśat in my text is ca, which I had taken to
> be a conjuction. But if  we read caṣās triṃśat, "thirty caṣās," and
> take caṣa to be a contraction of caṣaka, then this would be mathematically
> appropriate in context (roughly, "thirty minutes in a half-hour"). However,
> I have not been able to find an attestation of caṣa for caṣaka. Has anyone
> seen this before?
>
> many thanks,
> Matthew
>
> Matthew T. Kapstein
> Professor emeritus
> Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, Paris
>
> Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies Emeritus
> 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 with Proton Mail <https://proton.me/mail/home> secure email.
>
> On Wednesday, September 30th, 2026 at 11:04 AM, Matthew Kapstein <
> mattkapstein at proton.me> wrote:
>
> Dear friends,
>
> An astrological text I am studying contains the word
> ṣāstriṃśat
> which has me stumped. Perhaps it is a very odd way of representing 36, ṣaṭ
> triṃśat
> but this strikes me as quite strange.
> The reading is confrimed, however, by all four manuscripts that I am
> consulting, although they often disagree about other matters.
>
> I would welcome your learned suggestions.
>
> thanks in advance,
> Matthew
>
> Matthew T. Kapstein
> Professor emeritus
> Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, Paris
>
> Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies Emeritus
> 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 with Proton Mail <https://proton.me/mail/home> secure email.
>
>
>
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