History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.20

v6.c81.20

Prof Apte cites the word *vartani* (which means ‘way’ in Ṛg I. 23 9, V 61 9, VII 8 16, VIII. 23. 19, VIII 63 8) as analogous to vrata (from vṛt) But that word lends very little help. In ‘vartani’ there is *guṇa* (vṛt becomes vart), besides vartani cannot be derived from ‘vṛt’ meaning ‘turn round or revolve’ (which Prof Apte gives as the original meaning), but from the meaning ‘to abide’ or at the most ‘to proceed’ and further ‘vartani’ has practically only one meaning in the Ṛgveda, while vrata has to be paraphrased by sixty different words in English by Prof Apte