𑀚𑀦

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *ǵónh₁os

Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ánHas

Sanskrit जन॑ (jána)

Ashokan Prakrit 𑀚𑀦

Inherited from Sanskrit जन॑ (jána), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ánHas, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵónh₁os, from *ǵenh₁- + *-os.

Noun

𑀚𑀦 (jana) m

1. person
   • c. 257 BCE, Aśoka, Major Rock Edict 10 Girnar.4:

     𑀤𑀼𑀓𑀭𑀁 𑀢𑀼 𑀔𑁄 𑀏𑀢𑀁 𑀙𑀼𑀤𑀓𑁂𑀦 𑀯 𑀚𑀦𑁂𑀦 𑀉𑀲𑀝𑁂𑀦 𑀯 𑀅𑀜𑀢𑁆𑀭 𑀅𑀕𑁂𑀦 𑀧𑀭𑀸𑀓𑁆𑀭𑀫𑁂𑀦 𑀲𑀯𑀁 𑀧𑀭𑀺𑀘𑀚𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀧𑀸

     dukaraṃ tu kho etaṃ chudakena va janena usaṭena va añatra agena parākramena savaṃ paricajitpā

     • 1925 translation by Eugen Hultzsch

       But it is indeed difficult either for a lowly person or for a high one [person] to accomplish this without great zeal (and without) laying aside every (other aim).

Declension

Declension of 𑀚𑀦 (jana)
	singular	plural
nominative	𑀚𑀦𑁂, 𑀚𑀦𑁄 jane, jano	—
accusative	𑀚𑀦𑀁 janaṃ	—
instrumental	𑀚𑀦𑁂𑀦 janena	—
dative	—	—
ablative	—	—
genitive	𑀚𑀦𑀲 janasa	—
locative	𑀚𑀦𑀲𑀺 janasi	—

Alternative forms

Attested at Delhi-Topra, Dhauli, Girnar, Jaugada, Kalsi, Nittur and Udegolam.

Dialectal forms of 𑀚𑀦 (“person”)
Variety	Location	Lemmas	Forms edit
Central	Kalsi	𑀚𑀦 (jana)	𑀚𑀦𑀲 gen.sg (janasa), 𑀚𑀦𑀲𑀸 (janasā), ?𑀚𑀦𑀱𑀸 (janaṣā), 𑀚𑀦𑁂 nom.sg (jane)
	Delhi-Topra	𑀚𑀦 (jana)	𑀚𑀦𑀁 acc.sg (janaṃ), 𑀚𑀦𑀲 gen.sg (janasa), 𑀚𑀦𑀲𑀺 loc.sg (janasi), 𑀚𑀦𑁂 nom.sg (jane)
East	Dhauli	𑀚𑀦 (jana)	𑀚𑀦𑀲 gen.sg (janasa), 𑀚𑀦𑁂 nom.sg (jane)
	Jaugada	𑀚𑀦 (jana)	𑀚𑀦𑀲 gen.sg (janasa), 𑀚𑀦𑁂 nom.sg (jane)
Northwest	Shahbazgarhi	𐨗𐨣 (jana)	𐨗𐨣 (jana), 𐨗𐨣𐨯 gen.sg (janasa), 𐨗𐨣𐨅 nom.sg (jane), 𐨗𐨣𐨆 nom.sg (jano)
	Mansehra	𐨗𐨣 (jana)	𐨗𐨣𐨯 gen.sg (janasa), 𐨗𐨣𐨅 nom.sg (jane)
West	Girnar	𑀚𑀦 (jana)	𑀚𑀦𑀁 acc.sg (janaṃ), 𑀚𑀦𑀲 gen.sg (janasa), 𑀚𑀦𑁂𑀦 ins.sg (janena), 𑀚𑀦𑁄 nom.sg (jano)
South	Udegolam	𑀚𑀦 (jana)	𑀚𑀦𑀁 acc.sg (janaṃ)
	Nittur	𑀚𑀦 (jana)	𑀚𑀦𑀁 acc.sg (janaṃ)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀚𑀦 (“person”)
𑀚𑀦 (jana) (18) 𐨗𐨣 (jana) (6)

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀚𑀡 (jaṇa)
  • Apabhramsa: जण (jaṇa) (see there for further descendants)

References

• Hultzsch, E[ugen Julius Theodor] (1925), Inscriptions of Aśoka (new edition), in Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, volume 1, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 240.
• Andersen, Paul Kent (1990), “jana-”, in Studies in the Minor Rock Edicts of Aśoka, Freiburg: Hedwig Falk, page 150