Inspired by David Reigle’s insightful article, which suggests that it is unlikely to encounter the benedictive in Sanskrit programs at (presumably American?) universities,* I decided to browse through some German-language textbooks.
The benedictive mood is evidently taught there, but most thoroughly by Bühler.** He, in turn, draws on Kielhorn’s grammar, where the rules of benedictive formations are described in great detail (§§ 380–385).*** What is interesting here, particularly regarding the question of whether *vīkṣīṣīraṃs* could be a variant worth considering at all, is that both authors explicitly point out that the interposed vowel of *seṭ*-roots in the Ātmanepada appears as a long -*ī*- exclusively in formations from the root *grah* (e.g., *grahīṣīṣṭa*), but must otherwise always be short (Kielhorn § 382c; Bühler p. 95, 20). As if to confirm Riegle’s observation regarding the exclusion of the benedictive from English-language Sanskrit programs and textbooks, Perry—who otherwise bases his textbook strictly on Bühler and follows him even in the exercises****—also excludes any treatment of the benedictive with the following words: “[...] it is so rare that its formation need not be explained here.” (p. 188). As said, this is merely an observation regarding trends in Sanskrit textbooks from different scholarly traditions. Regards, WS * “It is possible to go through university Sanskrit programs without ever encountering the benedictive. […] Readings in classical Sanskrit texts typically follow this in the programs, so that unless one specifically takes up Pāṇinian grammar (or Vedic texts, where a few benedictives do occur), one is quite unlikely to encounter the benedictive.” (Reigle 1997, p. 127). ** https://uvhw.de/studia-indologica/product/200922_08-228-8.html *** https://uvhw.de/studia-indologica/product/200921_08-227-1.html **** “The Primer [...] is based upon an excellent little work by Professor Georg Bühler of Vienna: Leitfaden für den Elementarcursus des Sanskrit, Vienna 1883. I became acquainted with this book while in Germany, and after using it with a class at Columbia College was convinced of its great practical value.” (Preface to the 1936 edition). Am Fr., 20. März 2026 um 10:48 Uhr schrieb Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY < [email protected]>: > Dear Harry, > > I was following the text given by Amano: > Abhisamayālaṃkārakārikāśāstravivṛti by Haribhadra. Skt. > ed. Koei H. Amano, Kyoto: Heirakujishoten, 2000. > and consulting the earlier editions as well. > > I think that the readings you find in GRETIL are simply typos and not > genuine variants. > > Matthew > > Matthew T. Kapstein > Professor emeritus > Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, Paris > > Associate > The University of Chicago Divinity School > > Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences > > https://ephe.academia.edu/MatthewKapstein > > https://vajrabookshop.com/product/the-life-and-work-of-auleshi/ > > > https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501716218/tibetan-manuscripts-and-early-printed-books-volume-i/#bookTabs=1 > > > https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501771255/tibetan-manuscripts-and-early-printed-books-volume-ii/#bookTabs=1 > > https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/60949 > > Sent with Proton Mail <https://proton.me/mail/home> secure email. > > On Friday, March 20th, 2026 at 12:51 AM, Harry Spier < > [email protected]> wrote: > > Dear list members, > > Matthew Kapstein and ( David Reigle using edition 1929 by Stcherbatsky and > Obermiller) spell the word as *vīkṣiṣīraṃs* . Same text in GRETIL > (different editions) spell it *vīkṣīṣīraṃ*s and *vīkṣiṣiraṃs* > > Are these misprints or alternate spellings in GRETIL? *pratipatsīrann* is > spelled the same in these etexts > > *Matthew Kapstein and ( David Reigle)* > > sarvākārajñatāmārgaḥ śāsitrā yo'tra deśitaḥ| > dhīmanto vīkṣiṣīraṃs tam anālīḍhaṃ parair iti ||1|| > > smṛtau cādhāya sūtrārthaṃ dharmacaryāṃ daśātmikām | > sukhena pratipatsīrann ity ārambhaprayojanam ||2|| > > -------------------------- > > *GRETIL abhisamayālaṃkaranāmaprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstram * > > > https://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/corpustei/transformations/html/sa_maitreyanAtha-abhisamayAlaMkaranAmaprajJApAramitopadezazAstra.htm > input by Christian Coseru (no source book given) has; > > sarvākārajñatāmārgaḥ śāsitrā yo 'tra deśita / > > dhīmantī vīkṣīṣīraṃstamanālīḍhaṃ parairiti // Abhs_1.1 // > > smṛtau cādhāya sūtrārthaṃ dharmacaryā daśātmikā / > > sūkhena pratipatsīrannityārambhaprayojanam // Abhs_1.2 // > > -------------------------------------- > > GRETIL Abhisamayālaṃkāra > https://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/corpustei/transformations/html/sa_abhisamayAlaMkAra.htmData > entry: members of the Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon Input Project > Based on the ed. by Ramsankar Tripathi: Abhisamayalankaravrttih Sphutartha. > Sarnath : Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS), 1977. > grānthārambhaprayojanam sarvākārajñatāmārgaḥ śāsitrā yo 'tra deśitaḥ / > dhīmanto vīkṣiṣiraṃstamanālīḍhaṃ parairiti // asa_1.2 //smṛtau cādhāya > sūtrārthaṃ dharmacaryāṃ daśātmikām / > sukhena pratipatsīrannityārambhaprayojanam // asa_1.3 // > > Harry Spier > > > On Thu, Mar 19, 2026 at 5:30 PM Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Many thanks to all who replied on- and off-list. I am sorry that I was >> not aware of David Reigle's paper, addressing my query so precisely, >> beforehand, and I am grateful to him and to Asko Parpola for sharing it. >> Walter Slaje's helpful remarks lend some support to my thought that the >> benedictive form may have had an intentionally archaic nuance. >> >> Matthew >> >> Matthew T. Kapstein >> Professor emeritus >> Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, Paris >> >> Associate >> The University of Chicago Divinity School >> >> Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences >> >> https://ephe.academia.edu/MatthewKapstein >> >> https://vajrabookshop.com/product/the-life-and-work-of-auleshi/ >> >> >> https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501716218/tibetan-manuscripts-and-early-printed-books-volume-i/#bookTabs=1 >> >> >> https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501771255/tibetan-manuscripts-and-early-printed-books-volume-ii/#bookTabs=1 >> >> https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/60949 >> >> Sent with Proton Mail <https://proton.me/mail/home> secure email. >> >> On Thursday, March 19th, 2026 at 3:39 PM, Asko Parpola < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >> Dear Matthew, David Reigle ha written a paper (attached) on these very >> two occurrences of the benedictive. >> With best wishes, Asko >> >> On Thu, Mar 19, 2026 at 11:39 AM Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Dear friends, >>> >>> In the opening verses (given below) of the *Abhisamayālamkāra-śāstra *(ASA), >>> an important Mahāyāna Buddhist treatise (said to have been revealed to >>> Asaṅga by the bodhisattva Maitreya), we find two instances of verbs that I >>> take to be examples of “precatives” or “benedictives” (*āśīrliṅ*) in >>> the middle voice (*ātmanepāda*) third person plural. Whitney (925) and >>> Macdonell (150) both flatly state that the precative middle, though current >>> in Vedic, does not occur in Classical Sanskrit. Renou (330-331) does not >>> affirm this categorically, but suggests that the *āśīrliṅ *(without >>> specifying voice) is commonly met with in kāvya and epigraphy, though >>> unknown to Buddhist usage. Edgerton, BHS Grammar, has nothing at all to say >>> about the *āśīrliṅ*, probably due to its absence in the corpus that he >>> consulted, though the ASA is not in any case written in “hybrid” Sanskrit; >>> its terminology is distinctly Buddhist, of course, but without peculiarly >>> BHS grammatical forms. >>> >>> Conze, in the vocabulary accompanying his summary translation of the ASA >>> (SOR VI) offers no grammatical analysis, but treats *vīkṣiṣīran* as an >>> aorist optative, “have been able to behold,” and *pratipatsīran* as a >>> future optative, “will be able to make progress.” (It seems simpler to me >>> to adopt a mildly benedictive reading of both, “that the wise may behold… >>> and that they may easily master…”) >>> >>> What I wish to ask the vyākaraṇa specialists, however, is whether I am >>> correct to take these verbs as middle voice *āśīrliṅ* third person >>> plural? And, if so, are there other instances, whether in Buddhist or >>> non-Buddhist works, that similarly call into question Whitney and >>> Macdonell’s assertions? I would welcome any other observations about this >>> apparently unusual form that you may be able to share. In particular, I am >>> wondering if it is plausible to take its use here as a deliberately >>> archaizing gesture. >>> >>> >>> sarvākārajñatāmārgaḥ śāsitrā yo'tra deśitaḥ| >>> >>> dhīmanto *vīkṣiṣīraṃs* tam anālīḍhaṃ parair iti ||1|| >>> >>> smṛtau cādhāya sūtrārthaṃ dharmacaryāṃ daśātmikām | >>> >>> sukhena *pratipatsīrann* ity ārambhaprayojanam ||2|| >>> >>> with thanks in advance for your observations and insights, >>> Matthew >>> >>> Matthew T. Kapstein >>> Professor emeritus >>> Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, Paris >>> >>> Associate >>> The University of Chicago Divinity School >>> >>> Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences >>> >>> https://ephe.academia.edu/MatthewKapstein >>> >>> https://vajrabookshop.com/product/the-life-and-work-of-auleshi/ >>> >>> >>> https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501716218/tibetan-manuscripts-and-early-printed-books-volume-i/#bookTabs=1 >>> >>> >>> https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501771255/tibetan-manuscripts-and-early-printed-books-volume-ii/#bookTabs=1 >>> >>> https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/60949 >>> >>> Sent with Proton Mail <https://proton.me/mail/home> secure email. >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> INDOLOGY mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >>> >> >> >> -- >> Asko Parpola, [email protected] >> http://www.helsinki.academia.edu/AskoParpola >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> INDOLOGY mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >> > > > _______________________________________________ > INDOLOGY mailing list > [email protected] > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >
_______________________________________________ INDOLOGY mailing list [email protected] https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology
