On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet c5.127

c5.127

The result of this enquiry, which shows that the popular Indian alphabet of the third century B. C. had no signs for the vowels *ṛ*, *ṝ*, *ḷ* and *ḹ*, will not surprise those who have paid attention to Indian palaeography. The long *ḹ*, the existence of which (as a sound) is denied by the grammarians of Pāṇini's school, is an invention probably due to the Brahminical *Kabbala*, the so-called Mantraśāstra, which seems to have been studied and used for charms by Brahmans, Buddhists and Jainas at least since the beginning of our era. The sign for the intial *Ḹ* occurs first on the Horiuzi palmleaf and in the ancient Cambridge MS. from Nepal, Add. No. 1049, where it consists of two cursive *la* interlaced (see Tafel VI of the Grundriss). Medial *ḹ* is, as far as I know, not traceable in any old document. Among the remaining three sounds, only the short *ṛ* occurs as an initial in words of the ordinary language, while initial *Ṝ* and *Ḷ* are used only in the technical terms of the Vyākaraṇa and other Śāstras. The ancient signs for the initial *Ḷ*, which again are found on the Horiuzi palmleaf and in the Cambridge MS. Add. No. 1049, are cursive forms of *la*. Medial *ḷ* is expressed in the inscriptions mostly by *li*. But in the Haidarabad grant of Pulikeśi II (Ind. Ant. vol. VI, 72, pl. IIª, l. 7), we find a cursive *la* in *kḷpta*, see also the Grundriss, I, 11, Tafel VII, 42. XIV and p. 65. A similar sign occurs also in the same word in Rudradeva's Annamkonda inscription, l. 118, see Ind. Ant. vol. XI, facs. at p. 14—15. The principles, on which the more common signs for initial and medial *ṛ*, *ṝ* have been framed, are (1)