Dear List members,
As sandhi at the juncture of two words is expected in correct sanskrit, its absence could point to carelessness of the author or scribe, but also (rather) to the intention to make a quoted form stand out more clearly, as in pacyase iti, or to indicate a "weak" clause boundary, for which a da.n.da was felt to be too "strong".
I'm sure this problem has been dealt with in various transcriptions and editions of inscriptions and manuscripts. Is there any best practice regarding such places where sandhi is not observed, intentionally or erroneously? Especially in the former case the editor has to avoid "hypercorrection". Any widely accepted symbol (which could by itself lead to confusion by suggesting that the symbol represents something in the source)? Or adding a (clumsy) remark in the text, "sandhi not applied", or in the apparatus each time? (In Epigraphia indica volumes it appears commonly in notes "sandhi is not observed here", e.g. EI 37 p. 83, 84, 304.) A plus-sign, pacyase+iti, would probably at first sight suggest that an existing sandhi in the witness (manuscript / inscription) is undone by the editor.
Best regards,
Jan Houben