etymology of vitasti

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Fri, 01 Feb 2002 18:56:05 -0500 (EST)

 

Jose Thevercad <jtheve

Friday, February 1, 2002 6:55 PM

<INDOLOGY

etymology of vitasti

 

Hello,

I am wondering if any of the members can provide me some clue regarding the

etymology of term vitasti, a unit of measurement (the distance between the

stretched thumb and little finger). Monier-Williams states that the term

probably derived from the root tan, "to stretch." In Apte's Dictionary

(Concise Edition), against vitasti, there is in square brackets the

following: "vau taseh tih" -- a quote from Unadisutra (4, 189). What does

this mean? And what does the work Unadisutra deal with?

 

Thanks in advance,

Jose Thevercad

McGill University