TRACING VEDIC DIALECTS - People.fas.harvard.edu

the SW Maitr., and the Kauth. SV (PB) are not affected, nor are the Eastern
texts like VSM, ŚBM, and the (Central/E.) AV (Śaun.) reached. 173
The distribution thus is as follows:
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Kaṭha Paippalādin
Kap.? Aitareyin Kauṣītaki Kāṇva Eastern Ait.
Śākala RV? Śākala RV
Jaiminīya
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The development of ḷ- is therefore a typical regional feature which spread
outwards only to a limited extent. The interesting factor here is that even the
late (Eastern) AB and AA have taken over this Western trait. It is also found
in Śākalya's RV text which otherwise exhibits a typical Central/ Eastern
feature (like the fem.gen. -ai, see above §5.1).
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We may safely attribute the origin of this peculiarity to the post-Ṛgvedic
period, and its original area to the territory of the Kuru tribe. From there it
spread to some outlying schools, the later attested Eastern ones of which had
emigrated from the Kuru heartland (Kāṇva, Aitareyin, Śākala, perhaps some
Kauthuma).
§6.4 -jm- > -ym
173 It is remarkable that the Taittirīyas have not taken over the Kaṭha -ḷ- in their loans
from the Kaṭha school, TB 3.10-12 and TA 1-2. On the other hand, they have not
introduced their typical form suvar in these texts. Is this perhaps evidence enough to
assume that the diffusion of -ḷ- is later than the introduction of the Kāṭhaka-Cayanas into
the Tait. School? Note that even an old text like the BŚS has these special cayanas (BŚS 19,
TB 3.10-12, TA 1). On the other hand, TA is so late that it has a number of traits otherwise
known only from the Purāṇas, cf. the name of the Veda compiler Vaiśampāyana, a
Vātsyāyana, etc.see MSS 30, p. 180 ann.13. Does this mean that these Cayanas are very
late? Or is it simply that their formulation is late? In that case, their introduction into
BŚS, ĀpŚS, etc., must also be very late, an interpolation in fact. This is unlikely. Have they
been introduced into BŚS later than into TB/TA? But what about the style of BŚS in these
cayanas? BŚS copies TA I more or less word for word; the text seems to be as old as BŚS in
its redacted form.
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