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INTRODUCTION
§6. Treatment of the vowel ā : This vowel suffers most changes, though it is not
infrequent to find it well preserved. It is principally changed to a before a consonant cluster,
before the gen. sg. fem. term., at the end of the word mostly in nom. sg. fem. and abl. sg.
mas., and lastly it is represented as a short vowel in some cases mostly due to the negligence
of the scribe and should in fact be taken to stand for a long vowel in such cases.
(I) Change ā>a before a consonant cluster :
Sk. ārya─> aya- A 38, A 51, A 56 etc.
Sk. rājya─>raja─ A 1, A 2. (It may be observed that in the inscription A 1
long ā is preserved in Gāgiputa─ and Vāchhiputa─.)
Sk. bhāryā─>bhaya-ye A 4.
Sk. Kāśyapa─>Kasapa- B 17.
This change is also observed before clusters with nasals :
Sk. sūtrāntika─>sutaṁtika- A 51.
Sk. upakrānti-(?)>ūkraṁti- B 19 [cf. § 2 (II)].
Sk. vyavakrānta-(?)>vokata- B 18.
Sk. brāhmaṇa─>bramana- B 51.
Sk. rājñaḥ> raño A 1. (But cf rāño A 4. We also get long ā in rājano A 3
and short a in rajano A 130, where we have to suppose that the gen. sg.
forms are formed on the analogy of such forms as attano etc.)
Sk. ātmanā>atanā A 112.
Sk. āmravat (a)─>Aboda- B 69.
(II) Change ā>a before the gen. (abl.) sg. fem. termination. It is observed before
the term. –ya and sometimes before –ye, but never before –yā. Sk. Pushyadevā─>Pusadeva-ya A 120.
Sk. bhāryā─> bhāriya-ya A 46. Also cf. Purikaya A 17, Purikayā[1] A 19 (in these
two cases abl. sg. term.), Badhikaya A 42, Nadutaraya A 119, and Nagarikaya A 43.
Sk. Pushyadattā─>Pusadata-ye A 43, A 44.
Sk. Nāgā─>Naga-ye A 74. Also cf. Kamūchulaye A 54 b, Bhutaye A 77, and Sapagutaye A 78. [2]
As against these instances we have numerous instances where ā is preserved before-ya and -ye; cf. the following : Nāgasenāya A 14, Purikāya A 16 (abl.sg.), Idadevāya A 19, A 45, Sāmāya
A 20, Bhojakaṭakāya A 24, Benākaṭikāya A 49 a, bhāriyāya A 115, Sonāya A 123 etc. etc. ; before –ye
cf. Nāgarakhitāye A 4, nāgarikāye A 44, Phagudevāye A 75, Ujhikāye A 114, Ghosāye A 117 etc.
As mentioned above ā is never shown as a before the ending –yā; cf. Kujarāyā A 10, Nāgadevāyā A 11, samanāyā A 12, Purikāyā (abl. sg. ) A 18, A 20, Pusāyā A 27, Nāgilāyā A 29, Sirimāyā A 48 etc. etc.
(III) Change ─ā>─a at the end of a word :
(a) At the end of nom. sg. fem. words ; cf. devata B 8, 12, Sudasana B 10.
Mahakoka B 12, Idasālaguha B 35, Sivala B 56, ─Chitupādasila B 67.
(b) Also in the acc. sg. fem. with or without the loss of final anusvāra ; cf. disa B 26, katha ( kanthā acc. to LüderS ) B 73, dakhinaṁ B 26.
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Perhaps this is a mistake for Purikāya (cf. A 16) or Purikāyā (cf. A 18, A 20), as we do not get any
other instance of the shortening of ─ā before ─yā.
In A 24 we get Diganagay[e]. It will be seen that the final vowel stroke is not quite clear. At
other places in this inscription we get the gen. sg. term. ─ya in Bhojakaṭakāya and bhichhuniya and not-ye.
Na[ṁ]d[i]nagarikaya A 45 may be a mistake for ─kāya, because in the same inscription we get Idadevāya; and bhayaye A 4 may be a mistake for bhayāye, as we have Nāgarakhitāye in the same inscription.
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