Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages c7.s3.t6.6

c7.s3.t6.6

Thus, the three main criteria—historical, paleographic, and systemic—for establishing genetic connections between scripts are satisfied in the derivation of Kharoṣṭhī from Aramaic. The theory has accordingly been accepted by nearly all authorities on the subject, including many of those (e.g., Ojhā, BPLM 31–7) who do not accept a Semitic origin for Brāhmī. R. B. Pandey (PIP 53–8) is virtually alone in completely rejecting a Semitic origin for Kharoṣṭhī in favor of the traditional view (as attested in Chinese sources; see 2.3.5) that “it was invented by an Indian genius whose nick-name was *Kharoṣṭha*, as the letters resembled ass-lips” (58). But Pandey’s arguments against the Semitic origin are not persuasive and do not present any significant challenge to it. More recently, C. D. Chatterjee¹⁷¹ and following him V. S. Pathak¹⁷² have expressed doubts about the Aramaic origin of Kharoṣṭhī, but their arguments are equally unconvincing.