Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c8.45

c8.45

A dental forming a conjunct with a following व is in a few cases changed to the corresponding palatal; as in भोच्चा for भुक्त्वा, चच्चर for चत्वर, पिच्छी for पृथ्वी, विज्जं for विद्वान्, बुज्झा for बुद्धा, झअ for ध्वज, झुणी for ध्वनि, सज्जस for साध्वस, &c. This seems to arise from the fact that व was pronounced so lightly that it lost its distinctive character, and the conjuncts came to be confused with those containing a dental and य which, you will remember, are changed to a double palatal. In Pâli the त्व is retained in these instances, and the द्व and ध्व are changed to द्द and द्ध according to the general rules, and the ध्व of पृथ्वी becomes थ्व. Besides the conjuncts disjoined in Pâli by the interposition of a vowel, we have र्श and र्ष also so treated in the Prâkrit, sometimes optionally and sometimes necessarily. Thus आदर्श becomes आअरिस or आअंस, (P. आदास); सुदर्शन, सुदरिसण or सुदंसण, (P. सुदस्सन); वर्ष, वरिस or वास, (P. वस्स); परामर्श, परामरिस, (P. परामास); अमर्श, अमरिस, (P. अमस्स).