On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet c7.s1.33

c7.s1.33

No 20. I can only agree with Professor Weber's identification of *Resh* with the Brāhma *ra* or *repha*. But the original *ra* has not the form, consisting of a straight stroke, which is given in his table and in that of Dr. Taylor. The straight *ra*, evidently a late cursive development, is very rare in the Edicts. I know only of one instance in the Rūpnāth Edict in which a nearly straight stroke occurs. In the Girnār version, where *ra* is very common, it has at the top invariably one or two little angles, open to the right, or instead of the angle an irregular bulge towards the left, see Col. V, a—b. I take the form with the single angle to be the oldest and consider it to be derived from a Semitic form like that of the Mesa inscription, the triangle of which the Hindus opened, in order to avoid the heavy top, by attaching the vertical to the lower side of the base *i. e.* by putting [Figure:] for [Figure:]. The signs with two or more angles, Col. V, d—e, are no doubt artificial, ornamental developments. In the new Siddāpur Edicts this development has been carried to an extreme, and the whole letter has been converted into a wavy line, consisting of four or five little angles.