𑀔𑁄

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

Etymology tree

Sanskrit खलु (khalu)

Ashokan Prakrit 𑀔𑁄 (kho)

Inherited from Sanskrit खलु (khalu). Cognate with Pali kho, khalu, Prakrit 𑀔𑀮𑀼 (khalu).

Particle

𑀔𑁄 (kho)

1. indeed
   • c. 258 BCE, Aśoka, Minor Rock Edict 1 Brahmagiri.3:

     𑀦𑁄 𑀢𑀼 𑀔𑁄 𑀩𑀸𑀠𑀁 𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀓𑀁𑀢𑁂 𑀳𑀼𑀲𑀁 𑀏𑀓𑀁 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀭𑀁

     no tu kho bāḍhaṃ prakaṃte husaṃ ekaṃ savacharaṃ

     • 1925 translation by Eugen Hultzsch

       But indeed I had not been very zealous for one year.

Alternative forms

Attested at Brahmagiri, Calcutta-Bairat, Delhi-Topra, Dhauli, Gavimath, Girnar, Jatinga-Rameshwara, Jaugada, Kalsi, Nittur, Rajula-Mandagiri, Sarnath, Siddapura, Udegolam and Yerragudi.

Dialectal forms of 𑀔𑁄 (“indeed”)
Variety	Location	Lemmas	Forms edit
Central	Kalsi	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Delhi-Topra	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Sarnath	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Calcutta-Bairat	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
East	Dhauli	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Jaugada	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
Northwest	Shahbazgarhi	𐨑𐨆 (kho)
	Mansehra	𐨑𐨆 (kho)
West	Girnar	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
South	Yerragudi	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Siddapura	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Brahmagiri	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Jatinga-Rameshwara	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Rajula-Mandagiri	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Udegolam	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Nittur	𑀔𑁄 (kho)
	Gavimath	𑀔𑁄 (kho)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀔𑁄 (“indeed”)
𑀔𑁄 (kho) (15) 𐨑𐨆 (kho) (2)

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀔𑀼 (khu), 𑀳𑀼 (hu)

References

• Andersen, Paul Kent (1990) “kho”, in Studies in the Minor Rock Edicts of Aśoka, Freiburg: Hedwig Falk, page 148
• Hultzsch, E[ugen Julius Theodor] (1925) Inscriptions of Aśoka (new edition), in Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, volume 1, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 239.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “khálu”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 202