𑀥𑀁𑀫

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

From Sanskrit धर्म (dharma), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer-mos. Cognate to Pali dhamma, Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀥𑀫𑁆𑀫 (dhamma).

Noun

𑀥𑀁𑀫 (dhaṃma) m

1. (Buddhism, Hinduism, Girnar, Kalsi) dharma: religious duty; natural law
   • 269 BCE – 232 BCE, Ashoka, 5th major rock edict at Girnar line 3:

     𑀥𑀁𑀫𑀘𑀭𑀡𑁂𑀦 𑀪𑁂𑀭𑀺𑀖𑁄𑀲𑁄 𑀅𑀳𑁄 𑀥𑀁𑀫𑀖𑁄𑀲𑁄 𑀯𑀺𑀫𑀸𑀦𑀤𑀭𑁆𑀲𑀡𑀸 𑀘 𑀳𑀲𑁆𑀢𑀺 𑀤𑀲𑀡𑀸 𑀘

     dhaṃmacaraṇena bherighoso aho dhaṃmaghoso vimānadarsaṇā ca hasti dasaṇā ca

     • 1925 translation by Eugen Hultzsch

       […] [due to] the practice of morality [by Ashoka], the sound of drums has become the sound of morality, showing the people representations of aerial chariots, representations of elephants, […]

Alternative forms

Attested at Bairat, Brahmagiri, Delhi-Topra, Dhauli, Girnar, Jaugada and Kalsi.

Dialectal forms of 𑀥𑀁𑀫 (“dharma”)
Variety	Location	Forms edit
Central	Kalsi	𑀥𑀁𑀫 (dhaṃma), 𑀥𑀫 (dhama)
	Delhi-Topra	𑀥𑀁𑀫 (dhaṃma)
	Lauriya-Araraj	𑀥𑀫 (dhama)
	Bairat	𑀥𑀁𑀫 (dhaṃma)
East	Dhauli	𑀥𑀁𑀫 (dhaṃma)
	Jaugada	𑀥𑀁𑀫 (dhaṃma)
Northwest	Shahbazgarhi	𐨢𐨿𐨪𐨨 (dhrama)
	Mansehra	𐨢𐨨 (dhama), 𐨢𐨿𐨪𐨨 less common (dhrama]] less common</spa)
West	Girnar	𑀥𑀁𑀫 (dhaṃma), 𑀥𑀫 (dhama)
South	Brahmagiri	𑀥𑀁𑀫 (dhaṃma)
	Maski	𑀥𑀫 (dhama)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀥𑀁𑀫 (“dharma”)
𑀥𑀁𑀫 (dhaṃma) (7) 𑀥𑀫 (dhama) (4) 𐨢𐨿𐨪𐨨 (dhrama) (2) 𐨢𐨨 (dhama) (1)

References

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “dhárma”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press