𑀘𑀼

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sóder.?

Sanskrit तु (tu)

Ashokan Prakrit 𑀢𑀼 (tu)?

Proto-Indo-European *-kʷe

Proto-Indo-Iranian *-ča

Sanskrit च (ca)?

Sanskrit तु (tu)?

Ashokan Prakrit 𑀘𑀼 (cu)

Either a palatalised form of 𑀢𑀼 (tu, “but”) or from Sanskrit च (ca, “and”) +‎ Sanskrit तु (tu, “but”).

Particle

𑀘𑀼 (cu)

1. but
   • c. 258 BCE, Aśoka, Minor Rock Edict 1 Brahmagiri.3-4:

     𑀇𑀫𑀺𑀦𑀸 𑀘𑀼 𑀓𑀸𑀮𑁂𑀦 𑀅𑀫𑀺𑀲𑀸 𑀲𑀫𑀸𑀦𑀸 𑀫𑀼𑀦𑀺𑀲𑀸 𑀚𑀁𑀩𑀼𑀤𑀻𑀧𑀲𑀺
     𑀫𑀺𑀲𑀸 𑀤𑁂𑀯𑁂𑀳𑀺

     iminā cu kālena amisā samānā munisā jaṃbudīpasi
     misā devehi

     But men in Jambudvīpa, being during that time unmingled, (are now) mingled with the gods.

Alternative forms

Attested at Bairat, Brahmagiri, Calcutta-Bairat, Delhi-Topra, Dhauli, Gavimath, Jaugada, Kalsi, Nittur, Panguraria, Rajula-Mandagiri, Rupnath, Sahasram, Siddapura, Udegolam and Yerragudi.

Dialectal forms of 𑀢𑀼 (“but”)
Variety	Location	Lemmas	Forms edit
Central	Kalsi	𑀘𑀼 (cu)	𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Delhi-Topra	𑀘𑀼 (cu)	𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Rupnath	𑀘𑀼 (cu)	𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Bairat	𑀘𑀼 (cu)	?𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Sahasram	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀘 (ca)	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀘 (ca)
	Calcutta-Bairat	𑀘𑀼 (cu)	𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Panguraria	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀘 (ca)	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀘 (ca)
	Bahapur	𑀘 (ca)	𑀘 (ca)
	Ahraura	𑀘 (ca)	𑀘 (ca)
East	Dhauli	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀢𑀼 (tu)	𑀢𑀼 (tu), 𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Jaugada	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀢𑀼 (tu)	𑀢𑀼 (tu), 𑀘𑀼 (cu)
Northwest	Shahbazgarhi	𐨟𐨂 (tu), 𐨕𐨂 (cu)	𐨟𐨂 (tu), 𐨕𐨂 (cu)
	Mansehra	𐨟𐨂 (tu), 𐨕𐨂 (cu)	𐨟𐨂 (tu), 𐨕𐨂 (cu)
West	Girnar	𑀢𑀼 (tu)	𑀢𑀼 (tu)
South	Yerragudi	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀢𑀼 (tu)	𑀢𑀼 (tu), 𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Siddapura	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀢𑀼 (tu)	𑀢𑀼 (tu), 𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Brahmagiri	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀢𑀼 (tu)	𑀢𑀼 (tu), 𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Rajula-Mandagiri	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀢𑀼 (tu)	𑀢𑀼 (tu), 𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Udegolam	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀢𑀼 (tu)	𑀢𑀼 (tu), 𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Nittur	𑀘𑀼 (cu), 𑀢𑀼 (tu)	𑀢𑀼 (tu), 𑀘𑀼 (cu)
	Gavimath	𑀘𑀼 (cu)	𑀘𑀼 (cu)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀢𑀼 (“but”)
𑀘𑀼 (cu) (16) 𑀢𑀼 (tu) (9) 𑀘 (ca) (4) 𐨕𐨂 (cu) (2) 𐨟𐨂 (tu) (2)

Further reading

• Andersen, Paul Kent (1990) “cu”, in Studies in the Minor Rock Edicts of Aśoka, Freiburg: Hedwig Falk, page 150
• Hultzsch, E[ugen Julius Theodor] (1925) Inscriptions of Aśoka (new edition), in Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, volume 1, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 240.