The Viśvaprakāśa lists one of the meanings of yaṣṭi as flagstaff (dhvajadaṇḍa, as opposed to a simple staff or daṇḍa). 

yaṣṭirhāralatāśastrabhedayordhvajadaṇḍake (ṭadvikam, verse 23)

Unless a usage or Kośa citation can be traced, the meaning of “sacrifice” given by Böhtlingk for the word yaṣṭi needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The Nyāsa, a commentary on the Kāśikā, has the example as kāmiṣṭim and not kāṃ yaṣṭiṃ (see attached) under A 3.3.110. For the “sacrifice” meaning, one needs a suffix in bhāva. ktin is such a suffix, but due to A 6.1.15 (vacisvapiyajādīnāṃ kiti), yaj + ktin will result in iṣṭi. It is possible that there was a scribal error or an error on part of Böhtlingk which led to kāmiṣṭim being mistaken as kāṃ yaṣṭiṃ in the commentary he referred to. 

The Śabdakalpadruma has this to say on the derivation of yaṣṭi: yaj + bāhulakāt tiḥ, iti uṇādivṛttau ujjvaladattaḥ (4.179). This makes sense, as with tiḥ the samprasāraṇa by A 6.1.15 would not take place. 

On 29 October 2016 at 23:35, Harry Spier <hspier.muktabodha@gmail.com> wrote:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Corinna Wessels-Mevissen <corinnawessels@yahoo.de>
Date: Sat, Oct 29, 2016 at 12:31 AM
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Translation of yaṣṭihastaya
To: Harry Spier <hspier.muktabodha@gmail.com>

Hello Harry Spier,

I did my PhD on the early iconography of the aṣṭadikpālas (book is available on Academia: https://www.academia.edu/3029535/The_Gods_of_the_Directions_in_Ancient_India_Origin_and_Early_Development_in_Art_and_Literature_until_c._1000_A.D._), and Vāyu is very often seen as holding a flagstaff. This is in fact his most prominent attribute. As far as I remember, yaṣṭi was not mentioned in those texts, but only dhvaja or patākā, and the respective images show the god with a banner – mostly with the flag portion being a long streamer. 

Hope this helps somehow.

Corinna Wessels-Mevissen

---

Von: Harry Spier <hspier.muktabodha@gmail.com>
An: Indology <indology@list.indology.info>
Gesendet: 2:22 Samstag, 29.Oktober 2016
Betreff: [INDOLOGY] Translation of yaṣṭihastaya

Dear list members:

A gāyatrī mantra mantra to Vāyu is:

sarvaprāṇāya vidmahe
yaṣṭihastāya dhīmahi
tan no vāyuḥ pracodayāt

I've seen a translation of yaṣṭihastāya as "holding the mace" but are statues or pictoral representations of Vāyu, and if so  with a mace?

but Monier-Williams also  has a meaning of yaṣṭi as "sacrificing" which he says comes from a commentator on Panini 3-3-110 .

 By any chance could someone point out the commentator and point me to the passage MW refers to.

Also based on that definition of yaṣṭi does a translation of yaṣṭihastāya as "to the one who sacrifices with his hands" make sense. refering to the wind fanning the flames of the sacrifice.

Thanks,

Harry Spier

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

Nityānanda Miśra
http://nmisra.googlepages.com

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)