Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary (2 Volumes)

This is a pioneering work dealing with the description of the grammar and the lexicon of Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (BHS). Most of the Buddhist texts available in north India are based on it. It is based primarily on an old Middle Indic vernacular not otherwise identifiable. It contains features which were borrowed from other Middle Indic dialects either originally or in the course of historic development or both. In other words, even its Middle Indic aspects are dialectically somewhat mixed. However, Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (BHS) was also influenced extensively by Sanskrit from the very beginning of the tradition as it has been transmitted to us and increasingly as time went on. Later many products of this tradition have often, though wrongly been called "Sanskrit" without any bearing.

The most striking peculiarity of this language is that from the very beginning of its tradition it was modified in the direction of standard Sanskrit, while still retaining evidences of its Middle Indic origin, in all its texts, even the oldest, as shown by our manuscripts and editions.

Sanskritisms are constantly presented cheek by jowl with Middle Indic forms, and often with hybrids which strictly are neither one or other. These Sanskritisms are much too common to be comparable with stray Sanskrit loan words or loan forms which may have been occasionally adopted in many genuine Middle Indic vernacular.

The author has excluded from the grammar and dictionary all forms which are standard Sanskrit, and all words which are used in standard Sanskrit with the same meanings.

1. Introduction
   
2. Phonology, consonants
   
3. Phonology, vowels
   
4. Samdhi
   
5. Number
   
6. Gender
   
7. Case
   
8. a-stems
   
9. a-stems
   
10. I-stems with I- and in-stems
    
11. Feminines in -a and -I
    
12. u and u-stems
    
13. r-stems
    
14. Diphthongal stems
    
15. Consonant stems
    
16. s-stems
    
17. n-stems
    
18. nt-stems
    
19. Numerals
    
20. Personal Pronoun
    
21. Generic Pronoun
    
22. Noun suffix
    
23. Noun and verb compounds
    
24. The verb: general remarks
    
25. Person and number
    
26. Personal endings
    
27. Non-Sanskritic treatment of thematic vowel
    
28. Summary classification of non-Sanskritic presents
    
29. Optative
    
30. Imperative
    
31. Future
    
32. Aorist, or preterite (including imperfect)
    
33. Perfect
    
34. Participies, including gerundives
    
35. Gerund
    
36. Infinitive
    
37. Voice
    
38. Stems in aya (e); causative, denominative, etc.
    
39. Intensive
    
40. Desiderative
    
41. Syntactic addenda to the verb
    
42. Constructions with ma
    
43. Synopsis of verb fforms

Partial Index of Middle Indic words

Pali

Ardha-Magadhi

Other Prakrit, Apabhramsa, and Desi words

Free Shipping. Delivered by to all international destinations within 3 to 5 days, fully insured.

Click Here For More Books on the Pali Language