I recall it being taught (by the late Prof. Edwin Gerow) in a second year Sanskrit course (nearly a half-century ago!) with the delightful appellation of the "rare precative." I found this expression amusing; after all, one would expect something called the "precative" to be less than common, to say the least.
*Herman Tull, PhD* *Princeton, NJ* On Sun, Mar 22, 2026 at 8:35 AM Uskokov, Aleksandar via INDOLOGY < [email protected]> wrote: > The benedictive is taught in Deshpande. In my teaching practice at an > American university, student will not be introduced to it in the > introductory course, along with other rare forms like the passive of the > aorist; they WILL learn in when first encountered in a text, which is > likely to happen in high intermediate, for instance in a course on Vedic, > or advanced Sanskrit. > > Best wishes > Aleksandar > > Get Outlook for iOS <https://aka.ms/o0ukef> > ------------------------------ > *From:* INDOLOGY <[email protected]> on behalf of > Walter Slaje via INDOLOGY <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Sunday, March 22, 2026 8:16:58 AM > *To:* Matthew Kapstein <[email protected]> > *Cc:* Indology List <[email protected]> > *Subject:* Re: [INDOLOGY] a question about the āśīrliṅ > > 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 >
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