[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Polity, law and society](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity) › [Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C.](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968) › c17.s2 # Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c17.s2: Appendix B: Linguistic Aspect of Our Etymology of Licchavi Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c17.s2 - **Language:** English ### Appendix B: Linguistic Aspect of Our Etymology of Licchavi ### [c17.s2.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.2) The changing of ‘l’ into ‘r’ is a regular feature of the Eastern dialects of the Indo-European family. Professor T. Burrow makes the following observation on this point: ### [c17.s2.3](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.3) “In Iranian Indo-European r and l appear indiscriminately as r.¹ In the language of the \*Ṛg Veda\* this is predominantly the case. In Classical Sanskrit both l and r are found, but their distribution does not correspond exactly with that of Indo-European. In certain Eastern dialects of Indo-Aryan (notably in the inscriptions of Aśoka and in the Māgadhī of the Drama) only l is found.” ² ### [c17.s2.4](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.4) ¹ T. Burrow, \*The Sanskrit Language\*, p. 82 fn. 1, with a few exceptions though. ### [c17.s2.5](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.5) ² \*Ibid.\*, p. 82. ### [c17.s2.6](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.6) This gives us grammatical support for our suggestion that \*Ṛkṣavin\* was the original name, formed from \*ṛkṣa\*. By changing an ‘in’ ending into a lengthened vowel in the nominative singular, we get \*Ṛkṣavī\* (meaning “people of the bear-abounding region”) from \*Ṛkṣavin\*. In the Pāli canon, the \*Arthaśāstra\*, the \*Mānavadharma Śāstra\* and the Gupta Inscriptions it is represented as \*Licchavi\*, by the substitution of ‘Li’ for ‘Ṛ’, and ‘ccha’ for ‘kṣa’, according to the regular rules of Eastern Prākrit, but retaining the ending of the nominative singular. ### [c17.s2.7](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.7) Ṛkṣa vī from Ṛkṣa vin Ṛ — Kṣa — Vī = Li — Ccha — Vī ### [c17.s2.8](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.8) Thus \*Ṛkṣavin\* would be the original Sanskrit form of Licchavi. ## Linked texts (4) - [Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.niti.artha.kautilya) — Kauṭilya, Sanskrit - [Mānava Dharmaśāstra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.niti.dharma.manu) — Manu & Bhṛgu, Sanskrit - [Licchavi](https://indike.org/pramana/inp.epigraphy.nepal.licchavi) - [Ṛgvedasaṃhitā](https://indike.org/pramana/in.veda.samhita.rg) — Sanskrit --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2) · Pramāṇa