Sanskrit/Hindi: प्राच्यो, प्रतीच्यो

[MindBoggle]

Hello again everybody.

I have a problem with this sentence:

प्राच्योऽन्या नद्यः स्यन्दन्ते श्वेतेभ्यः पर्वतेभ्यः प्रतीच्योऽन्याः

I think it means:

Some rivers flow eastwards from the white mountains, others westwards.

- but I don't understand the morphology of प्राच्यो and प्रतीच्यो. Is it प्राच् plus यः and प्रतीच् plus यः? In that case: where is the correlative? And why is the weak stem प्रतीच् on its own? Or am I looking a प्राचि and प्रतीचि, i.e. two locatives? But what's the a doing, then?

I don't get it.

Anybody does?

Best regards,
MindBoggle

 

[Dib]

Yes! Your interpretation of the meaning is correct. It may have slight variants depending on the context, i.e. it may either refer to the relative locations of the rivers in the East and West of the mountains, or it may refer to the direction of the flow of the rivers towards East and West. I can't tell which it is without the context, but basically you are right.

As for morphology, well, here प्राच्यः and प्रतीच्यः are simply feminine nominative plural from प्राची < प्राच्‌ / प्राञ्च्‌ and प्रतीची < प्रत्यच्‌ / प्रत्यञ्च्‌ respectively agreeing in number, gender and case with the noun नद्यः|

Or am I looking a प्राचि and प्रतीचि, i.e. two locatives?

Also, I believe, normally the directions in locative are expressed in feminine gender (प्राच्याम्‌, प्रतीच्याम्‌, etc.) with an expressed or implied दिशि (< दिश्‌ f. direction), rather than in masc/neut as you were considering.

 

[MindBoggle]

Ah, it's प्राची and प्रतीची, of course. Ok, then I understand. Thanks!

 

[Dib]

You are welcome!

 

[Au101]

Whitney (§1212g) does give प्राच्य prācya- as an example of an adjective formed by the addition of य -ya. So, you're quite right that the word प्राच्य prācya- is from प्राञ्च् prāñc-:

प्राञ्च् prāñc- "east" + य -ya = प्राच्य prācya- "eastern". I assume that, yes, the weak stem is used. The word प्राच्य prācya- "eastern" is given by Monier-Williams on its own, though.

However, what I think we have here is प्राची prācī-, the fem stem of प्राञ्च् prāñc- "east", agreeing with नदी nadī-.

प्राच्यो < प्राच्यः = nom pl fem of prācī- (from prāñc-) "east, eastward", agrees with nadī-
ऽन्या < अन्याः = nom pl fem of anyā- "other, different", agrees with nadī- ? Less sure about this one, I will admit
नद्यः = nom pl of the fem noun nadī- "river"
स्यन्दन्ते = 3 pl, pres, mid of the root syand- "flow"
श्वेतेभ्यः = abl pl masc of the adjective śveta- "white" (agrees with parvata-)
पर्वतेभ्यः = abl pl of the masc noun parvata- "mountain"
प्रतीच्यो = nom pl fem of pratīcī- (from pratyañc-) "west, westward", agrees with nadī-
ऽन्याः < अन्याः = nom pl fem of anyā- "other, different", agrees with nadī- ? Less sure about this one, I will admit

I believe your translation to be correct

Edit: Dib has beaten me to it! In fact a whole conversation seems to have started and come to a conclusion, while I was typing Ah well, I hope the Whitney reference will be of interest and at least now you have two people who agree with your translation

 

[Dib]

Au101, I might have beaten you in pace, but nobody can beat you in comprehensiveness. Thanks for being so thorough!

ऽन्या < अन्याः = nom pl fem of anyā- "other, different", agrees with nadī- ? Less sure about this one, I will admit
...
ऽन्याः < अन्याः = nom pl fem of anyā- "other, different", agrees with nadī- ? Less sure about this one, I will admit

Of course, it agrees with nadī-. It is the "anya- ... anya- ..." construction: "some ... other ...". What's the source of your lack of confidence here? What other option do you have on your mind?

 

[Au101]

You're quite right, sorry, I think I might have been thrown off course slightly by the entry for अन्या in Monier-Williams as "inexhaustible (as the milk of a cow)" or perhaps I just didn't quite read the अन्य entry thoroughly enough to alay my doubts, but no I'm completely with you now