𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

From Sanskrit ब्राह्मण (brāhmaṇá).

Noun

𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (brāmhaṇa) m (Girnar)

1. (Hinduism) a brahmana
   • c. 257 BCE, Aśoka, Major Rock Edict 4 Girnar:

     𑀅𑀢𑀺𑀓𑀸𑀢𑀁 𑀅𑀁𑀢𑀭𑀁 𑀩𑀳𑀽𑀦𑀺 𑀯𑀸𑀲𑀲𑀢𑀸𑀦𑀺 𑀯𑀠𑀺𑀢𑁄 𑀏𑀯 𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀡𑀸𑀭𑀁𑀪𑁄 𑀯𑀺𑀳𑀺𑀁𑀲 𑀘 𑀪𑀽𑀢𑀸𑀦𑀫 𑀜𑀸𑀢𑀻𑀲𑀼 𑀅𑀲𑀁𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀢𑀺𑀧𑀢𑀻 𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡𑀲𑁆𑀭𑀫𑀡𑀸𑀦𑀁 𑀅𑀲𑀁𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀢𑀻𑀧𑀢𑀻

     atikātaṃ aṃtaraṃ bahūni vāsasatāni vaḍhito eva prāṇāraṃbho vihiṃsa ca bhūtānama ñātīsu asaṃpratipatī brāmhaṇasramaṇānaṃ asaṃpratīpatī

     In times past, for many hundreds of years, there had ever been promoted the killing of animals and the hurting of living beings, discourtesy to relatives, (and) discourtesy to Brāhmaṇas and Śramaṇas.

Alternative forms

Attested at Girnar.

Dialectal forms of 𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (“bramhana”)
Variety	Location	Lemmas	Forms edit
Central	Kalsi	𑀩𑀁𑀪𑀦 (baṃbhana)
	Delhi-Topra	𑀩𑀸𑀪𑀦 (bābhana)
East	Dhauli	𑀩𑀁𑀪𑀦 (baṃbhana), 𑀩𑀸𑀪𑀦 (bābhana)
	Jaugada	𑀩𑀁𑀪𑀦 (baṃbhana), 𑀩𑀸𑀪𑀦 (bābhana)
Northwest	Shahbazgarhi	𐨦𐨿𐨪𐨨𐨞 (bramaṇa)
	Mansehra	𐨦𐨨𐨞 (bamaṇa), 𐨦𐨿𐨪𐨨𐨞 (bramaṇa)
West	Girnar	𑀩𑀸𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (bāmhaṇa), 𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (brāmhaṇa), 𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (bramhaṇa), 𑀩𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (bamhaṇa)
	Sopara	𑀩𑀁𑀪 (baṃbha)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (“bramhana”)
𑀩𑀁𑀪𑀦 (baṃbhana) (3) 𑀩𑀸𑀪𑀦 (bābhana) (3) 𐨦𐨿𐨪𐨨𐨞 (bramaṇa) (2) 𐨦𐨨𐨞 (bamaṇa) (1) 𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (brāmhaṇa) (1) 𑀩𑀸𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (bāmhaṇa) (1) 𑀩𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (bamhaṇa) (1) 𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (bramhaṇa) (1) 𑀩𑀁𑀪 (baṃbha) (1)

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀩𑀫𑁆𑀳𑀡 (bamhaṇa), 𑀩𑀁𑀪𑀡 (baṃbhaṇa)
  • Early Assamese: বামন (bamono)
    • Assamese: বামুণ (bamun)
  • Bengali: বামন (bamon)
  • Bihari:
    • Bhojpuri: बाम्हन (bāmhan), बाभन (bābhan)
    • Maithili: बामन (bāman), बाभन (bābhan)
  • Gujarati: બામણ (bāmaṇ)
  • Hindustani:
    • Awadhi: बाम्हन (bāmhan)
    • Hindi: बाम्हन (bāmhan)
  • Konkani:

    Devanagari script: बामण (bāmaṇ)

    Latin script: bamonn

  • Marathi: बामण (bāmaṇ)
  • Nepali: बाहुन (bāhuna)
  • Odia: ବାମୁଣ (bāmuṇa) (dialectal or obsolete ବାଭୁଣ (bābhuṇa), ବାମୁଣ (bāmuṇa), ବାମ୍ଭୁଣ (bāmbhuṇa))
  • Pahari:
    • Garhwali: बामण (bāmaṇ)
    • Kumaoni: बामण (bāmaṇ)
  • Punjabi:

    Gurmukhi script: ਬਾਹਮਣ (bāhmaṇ)

    Shahmukhi script: باہْمَݨ (bāhmaṇ)

  • Sindhi: براهَمَڻُ
  • → Kurukh: बमभ्नस (bambhnas)
• Elu:
  • Sinhalese: බඹ (baᵐba)
• Gandhari: 𐨦𐨿𐨪𐨨𐨞 (bramaṇa)

References

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “brāhmaṇá”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press