Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c6.68

c6.68

SID.—An endeavour should be made to find them. Wide indeed is the range over which words are used; the earth with its seven continents, the three worlds, the four Vedas with their angas or dependent treatises and the mystic portions, in their various recensions, the one hundred branches of the Adhvaryu (Yajur-Veda), the Sâma-Veda with its thousand modes, the Bâhvrichya with its twenty-one varieties, and the Âtharvaṇa Veda with nine, Vâkovâkya, the Epics, the Purâṇas and Medicine. This is the extent over which words are used. Without searching this extent of the use of words, to say that words are not used is simple rashness. In this wide extent of the use of words, certain words appear restricted to certain senses in certain places. Thus, शवति is used in the sense of motion among the Kambojas; the Âryas use it in the derived form of शव; हम्मति is used among the Surâṣṭras, रंहति among the eastern and central people, but the Âryas use only गम; दाति is used in the sense of ‘cutting’ among the easterns, दात्र among the northerners. And those words which you think are not used are also seen used.