Panini: pratiihaara (prati + <i>)

[Guest guest]

Indologists!

 

I have no idea if pratiihaara comes from some non-IA expression, but

with a little creativity can't we account for the lengthening by using

prati + <i> [to trust, be sure of, rely on]. And if "haara" can mean a

'porter' then such a person might have been promoted to "pratii-haara"

--the trusted porter. (Still *more* creatively: the one who carries

trust!)

 

best,

Tim Cahill

[Guest guest]

Hello Tim,

 

Of course the word -haara can mean a carrier or porter in

attested expressions like bhaara-haara.h in Yaaska's Nirukta. A

related term pratihart.r as some sort of carrier of sacrificial

materials is attested in the Braahma.na literature (lots of refs in

Roth-Boehtlingh vol. 4, p. 986) where the term refers to a helper of

the Udgaat.r priest. However, in its usage of prati/pratii+haara as

referring to a door or door-keeper, the meaning of prati+harati is

rather not so clear. But here are some suggestions. In the

Mahabharata usage cited by Roth-Boehtlingk, caraacarasya sra.s.taaram

pratihartaaram eva ca, the term pratihart.r seems to be used in the

sense of destroyer, remover or perhaps "retractor"., also compare

pratisamhara saayakam (Zaakuntalam) in the sense of retraction. In

expressions like k.rtyaa-pratihara.na, the expression seems to have

the sense of revert or retract the black magic. Perhaps, in the term

prati/ptatii+haara as door-keeper, the base meaning may be "one who

closes the door, keeps it closed" and by extension guards it, perhaps

also one who turns away folks from the gate and thus protects it.

Cf. pratihartaa tvam aapadaam, Raghu 1.60 where the term seems to

mean "remover".

 

Madhav Deshpande

 

 

INDOLOGY, "Timothy C. Cahill" <tccahill@l...> wrote:

>

> Indologists!

>

> I have no idea if pratiihaara comes from some non-IA expression,

but

> with a little creativity can't we account for the lengthening by

using

> prati + <i> [to trust, be sure of, rely on]. And if "haara" can

mean a

> 'porter' then such a person might have been promoted to "pratii-

haara"

> --the trusted porter. (Still *more* creatively: the one who

carries

> trust!)

>

> best,

> Tim Cahill