𑀫𑀭𑀡

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit 𑀫𑀭𑀡 (maraṇa). Cognate with Pali maraṇa.

Noun

𑀫𑀭𑀡 (maraṇa) n

1. death, dying
   • c. 257 BCE, Aśoka, Major Rock Edict 13 Girnar line 1:

     [𑀯]𑀥𑁄-𑀯 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀁-𑀯 𑀅𑀧𑀯𑀸𑀳𑁄-𑀯 𑀚𑀦𑀲 𑀢 𑀩𑀸𑀠𑀁 𑀯𑁂𑀤𑀦-𑀫𑀢-𑀘 𑀕𑀼𑀭𑀼-𑀫𑀢-𑀘 𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀸[𑀦𑀁𑀧𑀺] [𑀲]

     [va]dho-va maraṇaṃ-va apavāho-va janasa ta bāḍhaṃ vedana-mata-ca guru-mata-ca devā[naṃpi] [sa]

     slaughter, death, and deportation of people, this is considered very painful and deplorable by Dēvānaṁpriya

Alternative forms

Attested at Girnar.

Dialectal forms of 𑀫𑀭𑀡 (“death”)
Variety	Location	Lemmas	Forms edit
Central	Kalsi	𑀫𑀮𑀦 (malana)
Northwest	Shahbazgarhi	𐨨𐨪𐨞 (maraṇa)
	Mansehra	𐨨𐨪𐨞 (maraṇa)
West	Girnar	𑀫𑀭𑀡 (maraṇa)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀫𑀭𑀡 (“death”)
𐨨𐨪𐨞 (maraṇa) (2) 𑀫𑀭𑀡 (maraṇa) (1) 𑀫𑀮𑀦 (malana) (1)

Descendants

• Gandhari: 𐨨𐨪𐨣 (marana)
• Prakrit: 𑀫𑀭𑀡 (maraṇa) (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• Hultzsch, E[ugen Julius Theodor] (1925) Inscriptions of Aśoka (new edition), in Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, volume 1, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 250.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “maraṇa”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 567

Prakrit

Etymology

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit 𑀫𑀭𑀡 (maraṇa), from Sanskrit 𑀫𑀭𑀡 (maraṇa). Cognate with Pali maraṇa, Gandhari 𐨨𐨪𐨣 (marana).

Noun

𑀫𑀭𑀡 (maraṇa) n (Devanagari मरण, Gujarati મરણ, Kannada ಮರಣ) (Māhārāṣṭrī, Śaurasenī, Ardhamāgadhī)

1. death, dying
   • c. 200 CE – 600 CE, Hāla, Gāhā Sattasaī 42:

     𑀆𑀭𑀁𑀪𑀁𑀢𑀲𑁆𑀲 𑀥𑀼𑀅𑀁 𑀮𑀘𑁆𑀙𑀻 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀁-𑀯 𑀳𑁄𑀇 𑀧𑀼𑀭𑀺𑀲𑀲𑁆𑀲
     𑀢𑀁 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀁 𑀅𑀡𑀸𑀭𑀁𑀪𑁂-𑀯𑀺 𑀳𑁄𑀇 𑀮𑀘𑁆𑀙𑀻 𑀉𑀡 𑀡 𑀳𑁄𑀇

     āraṃbhaṃtassa dhuaṃ lacchī maraṇaṃ-va hoi purisassa
     taṃ maraṇaṃ aṇāraṃbhe-vi hoi lacchī uṇa ṇa hoi

     • 2009 translation by Peter Khoroche and Herman Tieken

       If a man shows initiative, there is the prospect of either wealth or death.
       Even if he lacks initiative, death is certain, wealth is not.

   • c. 400 CE, Pravarasena II, Rāvaṇavadha Canto XI, line 83:

     𑀩𑁄𑀮𑀻𑀡𑁄 𑀫𑀅𑀭-𑀳𑀭𑁄 𑀫𑀚𑁆𑀛 𑀓𑀏𑀡 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀁-𑀧𑀺 𑀤𑁂 𑀧𑀟𑀺𑀯𑀡𑁆𑀡𑀁
     𑀡𑀺𑀯𑁆𑀯𑀽𑀠𑀁 𑀡𑀸𑀳 𑀢𑀼𑀫𑁂 𑀅𑀚𑁆𑀚-𑀯𑀺 𑀥𑀭𑀇 𑀅𑀓𑀅𑀡𑀼𑀅𑀁 𑀫𑀳 𑀳𑀺𑀅𑀅𑀁

     bolīṇo maara-haro majjha kaeṇa maraṇaṃ-pi de paḍivaṇṇaṃ
     ṇivvūḍhaṃ ṇāha tume ajja-vi dharaï akaaṇuaṃ maha hiaaṃ

     • 1974 translation by Krishna Kanta Handique

       Thou didst cross the ocean, and accept even death for my sake.
       Thy task, my lord, was fulfilled, but my ungrateful heart beats even now.

Declension

Maharastri declension of 𑀫𑀭𑀡 (neuter)
	singular	plural
Nominative	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀁 (maraṇaṃ)	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀇𑀁 (maraṇāiṃ) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀇 (maraṇāi)
Accusative	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀁 (maraṇaṃ)	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀇𑀁 (maraṇāiṃ) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀇 (maraṇāi)
Instrumental	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑁂𑀡 (maraṇeṇa) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑁂𑀡𑀁 (maraṇeṇaṃ)	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑁂𑀳𑀺 (maraṇehi) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑁂𑀳𑀺𑀁 (maraṇehiṃ)
Dative	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀅 (maraṇāa)	—
Ablative	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀑 (maraṇāo) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀉 (maraṇāu) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸 (maraṇā) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀳𑀺 (maraṇāhi) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀳𑀺𑀁𑀢𑁄 (maraṇāhiṃto)	—
Genitive	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀲𑁆𑀲 (maraṇassa)	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀡 (maraṇāṇa) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀡𑀁 (maraṇāṇaṃ)
Locative	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀫𑁆𑀫𑀺 (maraṇammi) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑁂 (maraṇe)	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑁂𑀲𑀼 (maraṇesu) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑁂𑀲𑀼𑀁 (maraṇesuṃ)
Vocative	𑀫𑀭𑀡 (maraṇa) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸 (maraṇā)	𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀇𑀁 (maraṇāiṃ) or 𑀫𑀭𑀡𑀸𑀇 (maraṇāi)

Derived terms

Terms inherited from *𑀫𑀭𑀡-𑀇𑀆 ~ *𑀫𑀭𑀡-𑀇𑀕𑀸 (*maraṇa-iā ~ *maraṇa-igā)

• Chhattisgarhi: मरनी (marnī)
• Gojri: مَرنِی (marnī)
• Hindi: मरनी (marnī)

Terms inherited from *𑀫𑀭𑀡-𑀅 ~ *𑀫𑀭𑀡-𑀕 (*maraṇa-a ~ *maraṇa-ga)

• Saraiki: مَرْنا (marnā)
• Sindhi: marṇo

  Arabic script: مَرْڻو

  Devanagari script: मर्णो

  Khudawadi script: 𑋗𑋙𑋪𑋌𑋧

Descendants

Terms inherited from 𑀫𑀭𑀡 (maraṇa)

• Ahirani: मरन (maran)
• Old Gujarati: मरण (maraṇa)
  • Gujarati: મરણ (maraṇ)
  • Malvi: मरण (maraṇ)
  • Marwari:

    Devanagari script: मरण (maraṇ)

    Mahajani script: 𑅬𑅭𑅢 (mrṇ)

• Old Hindi: मरन (marana)
  • Hindustani: maran

    Hindi: मरन

    Urdu: مَرَن

  • Maithili: maran

    Devanagari script: मरन

    Tirhuta script: 𑒧𑒩𑒢

• Old Marathi: maraṇa

  Devanagari script: मरण

  Modi script: 𑘦𑘨𑘜

  • Marathi: मरण (maraṇ)
• Nepali: मरन (maran)
• Old Punjabi: ਮਰਨੁ (maranu)
  • Punjabi: maran

    Gurmukhi script: ਮਰਨ

    Shahmukhi script: مَرَن

• Sinhalese: මරණ (maraṇa)

Further reading

• Sheth, Hargovind Das T[rikamcand] (1923–1928) “मरण”, in पाइअ-सद्द-महण्णवो [pāia-sadda-mahaṇṇavo, Ocean of Prakrit words] (in Hindi), Calcutta: [Published by the Author], page 674.
• Pischel, Richard, Jha, Subhadra (contributor) (1957) Comparative Grammar of the Prakrit Languages, Varanasi: Motilal Banarasidass, pages 114, 133, 250
• Otto von Böhtlingk (1877) “मरण”, in Sanskrit-Chrestomathie (chapter “Prakrit-Index”) (in German), St. Petersburg: Eggers & Co., →OCLC, page 338 of 372
• Woolner, Alfred Cooper, An Introduction to Prakrit‎, Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 1917, pages 84, 20, 105.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “maraṇa”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 567